IGGING 

DITCHES 


FREDERICK  B.  COWL 


i 


3xnm  %  Etbrarg  nf 

Urquf  atl|?i  bg  \\m\  Xrx 

X\\t  ffitbrarg  of 

Prittrrton  Slj^olngtral  S^^mtnarQ 

BV  4315  .C68  1896 
Cowl ,  Frederick  B. 
Digging  ditches 


DIGGING   DITCHES 


DIGGING    DITCHES 


©tber  Sennona  to  Bo^e  anb  61110 


BY 


REV.  FREDERICK  B.  COWL 


NEW  YORK:  EATON  &  MAINS 
CINCINNATI  :    CURTS   &   JENNINGS 


TO 

THE  BOYS  AND  GIRLS 

OF 

CROUCH  HILL,  LONDON 

WHOSE  ATTENTIVE  HEARING  HAS  MANY  TIMES 

ENCOURAGED  THE  PREACHER 

TO  PREACH  AGAIN 


PKEFACE 


Eleven  years  ago,  when  I  was  associated  with  the 
Woodhouse  Moor  Wesleyan  Church,  Leeds,  the  Sunday 
school  workers  requested  that  something  should  be 
done  by  the  minister  for  the  children  in  the  Sunday 
morning  service.  In  response  to  that  request,  I 
undertook  a  separate  sermon  for  the  children.  This 
I  have  continued  to  the  present  time,  with  a  growing 
sense  of  the  necessity  for  something  to  be  done,  but 
not  always  sure  what  it  was  best  to  do.  The  sermons 
in  this  volume  are  some  of  the  fruit  of  that  work. 
They  were  spoken  not  always  to  the  younger  children, 
and  never  to  the  older  ones,  with  no  pretence  to 
literary  style,  but  with  a  supreme  consideration  for 
the  actual  life  of  the  boys  and  girls  to  whom  they 
were  addressed,  than  whom  I  have  never  found  more 
attentive  and  responsive  hearers. 

JvZy  1896. 


CONTENTS 


PAOB 

S)igging  Witches i3 

"Make  this  valley  fuU  of  ditches." 

2  Kings  iii.  16. 

3fuU  H)ltcbe6 18 

"That  valley  shall  be  filled  with  water." 

•2  Kings  iii.  17. 

Woing  ®ur  :Bc6t 23 

**  She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

Ma  UK  xiv.  8. 

IC)ur6e:=Making 27 

"Make  for  yourselves  purses  which  wax  not  old." 

Luke  xii.  33  (R.V.). 

Cla^'/iRoDelluiQ 34 

"He  made  it  again  another  vessel." 

Jeb.  xviii.  4. 

1be&0e*JSrea?ier6 39 

"Whoso  breaketh  an  hedge,  a  serpent  shall  bite  him." 

ECCLES.  X.  8. 

"CSlooDsCBatberers 44 

' '  The  children  gather  wood. " 

Jer.  vii.  8. 


lO  CONTENTS 

PA9E 

B  Cbance  Brrow 49 

' '  And  a  certain  man  drew  his  bow  at  a  venture,  and 
smote  the  King  of  Israel  between  the  joints  of  the 
harness."  1  Kings  xxii.  34. 

Xittle  b^  Xittle 54 

"He  that  is  faithful  in  a  very  little  is  faitliful  also  in 
much."  Luke  xvi.  10  (R.V.). 

/Iftlmics 59 

"  Imitate  not  that  which  is  evil,  but  that  which  is  good." 

3  John  11  (R. v.). 

B  ©ooD  Cops 64 

"  Be  ye  imitators  of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ." 

1  Cor.  xi.  1  (R.V.). 

^be  Door 69 

"Jesus  said  ...  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep." 

John  x.  7. 

SiDes 74 

"  The  Lord  is  on  my  side  ;  I  will  not  fear." 

Ps.  cxviii.  6. 

Secrets 79 

"  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him." 

Ps.  XXV.  14. 

mot  /iRine-Mboee? 84 

"  Ye  are  not  your  own  ;  for  ye  were  bought  with  a  j^rice." 

1  Cor.  vi.  19,  20. 

Bias!  JSorroweD 89 

"Alas,  master  !  for  it  was  borroAved." 

2  Kings  vi.  5. 

Sparrows .      94 

Matt.  x.  29  and  Luke  xii.  6. 

®10  Sboes  anD  ClouteD     .         .         .         .         .     ioo 

"And  old  shoes  and  clouted  upon  their  feet." 

Joshua  ix.  5. 


CONTENTS  TT 

PAGE 

Xost  SblclDs 107 

'  ■  And  lie  took  away  all  the  sliields  of  gold  whicli  Solomon 
had  made."  1  Kings  xiv.  26. 

Bpples  of  (3olC>       ......     113 

"A  word  fitly  spoken  is  like  apples  of  gold  in  baskets  of 
silver."  Prov.  xxv.  11  (R.V.). 

Second  . 118 

"  I  shall  be  next  unto  thee." 

1  Sam.  xxiii.  17. 

B  IRlDMe 124 

"Out  of  the  eater  came  forth  meat,   and  out  of  the 
strong  came  forth  sweetness." 

Judges  xiv.  14. 

Clean  1ban^5 i30 

"He   that   hath    clean   hands   shall   be   stronger  and 
stronger."  Job  xvii.  9. 

B  ipure  Ibcart         ......     135 

"He  that  hath  clean  hands,  and  a  pure  heart." 

Ps.  xxiv.  4. 

Copper  iDrecious  as  (BolD  .         .         .         .         .     140 

"  Two  vessels  of  fine  bright  brass,  precious  as  gold." 

Ezra  viii.  27  (P.V.). 

Strafgbt  Bvva^        .         .         ...         .         .146 

"  And  straightway  they  left  the  nets  and  followed  Him." 

Mark  i.  18. 

2)00 151 

"  Beware  of  the  dogs.' 

Phil.  iii.  2  (R.V.). 

IRemember     .  ....     155 

"Remember  Jesus  Christ." 

2  Tim.  ii.  8  (R.V.). 


Dlaatn^  Bitcbes 

**Make  this  valley  full  of  ditches." 

2  Kings  iii.  16. 

There  is  a  stirring  soldier  story  in  connection  with 
this  verse  which  I  will,  in  a  few  words,  tell  you. 

Mesha,  king  of  Moab,  had  to  pay  a  large  tribute  of 
wool  to  the  king  of  Israel.  After  the  death  of  Ahab, 
he  rebelled  and  withheld  the  tribute.  Then  Jehoram, 
king  of  Israel,  persuaded  the  kings  of  Judah  and 
Edom  to  go  with  him  against  Mesha.  After  a  march 
of  seven  days,  they  came  to  the  valley  which  divided 
Edom  from  Moab.  They  depended  upon  finding  water 
in  this  valley,  and  brought,  therefore,  no  supply  with 
them ;  but  when  the  soldiers  got  to  their  camping- 
ground,  weary  and  thirsty,  they  found  the  stream  dried 
up.  Too  exhausted  to  retreat,  and  too  thirsty  to  fight, 
with  their  enemies  in  view  on  the  opposite  hills, 
Jehoram  foolishly  and  complainingly  said,  "  Alas,  that 
the  Lord  hath  called  these  three  kings  together,  to 
deliver  them  into  the  hand  of  Moab." 

But  the  king  of  Judah  was  a  better  man,  and  asked 
whether  there  was  not  a  prophet  of  the  Lord,  so  that 
they  might  inquire  of  the  Lord  through  him.     Sturdy 


14  DIGGING  DITCHES 

Elisha  was  there,  and  to  him  the  three  kings  went. 
He  reproved  Jehoram  for  coming,  because  he  was 
wicked,  and  did  not  think  of  God  when  things  were 
prosperous. 

Is  it  not  mean,  boys  and  girls,  to  come  to  God  only 
when  we  are  in  trouble,  and  forget  Him  at  other  times  ? 
Let  none  of  us  do  this. 

However,  for  the  sake  of  Jehoshaphat,  the  good  man 
of  the  three  (good  people  are  worth  having  in  our 
company),  Elisha  asked  the  Lord  what  they  were  to 
do.  The  answer  God  gave  him  was,  that  they  were  to 
make  the  valley  full  of  ditches ;  because,  though  there 
would  be  no  sign  or  sound  of  rain,  yet  the  valley  would 
be  full  of  water,  and  they  should  drink  themselves,  and 
their  cattle,  and  their  beasts.  And  then  the  Lord  would 
deliver  their  enemies  into  their  hand. 

Now,  the  picture  I  want  you  to  see  and  remember 

15  that  of  these  thirsty  soldiers  digging  ditches  in  this 
dry  valley ;  and  as  you  look  at  them,  remember — 

First.  What  we  are  to  be. 

We  must  all  be  diggers.  Everything  worth  having  has 
to  be  worked  for.  Getting  knowledge  is  like  digging ; 
for  lessons,  as  boys  and  girls  well  know,  have  to  be 
learned.  There  are  a  few  clever  boys  in  every  school, 
who  seem  as  if  lessons  come  naturally  to  them,  and  the 
first  place  in  the  class  is  as  easy  to  them  as  the  last 
place  to  another.  But  these  are  exceptions.  The 
surest  way  to  the  top  is  by  hard  work  —  getting  our 
spade  in  and  digging  like  thirsty  soldiers.     The  duffer 


DIGGING  DITCHES  15 

is  the  boy  without  spade.  The  prize-winner  is  the 
boy  with  spade,  who  has  dug  hard. 

Becoming  good  is  like  digging.  When  we  pray,  read 
our  Bibles,  try  to  do  right,  we  are  diggers.  If  we 
are  lazy  about  goodness,  we  shall  no  more  become  good 
than  we  shall  become  wise  if  we  don't  learn  lessons. 

Once  during  the  American  revolution  a  little  squad 
of  soldiers  were  trying  to  lift  a  heavy  beam  to  its  place. 
The  officer  in  charge  was  giving  loud  orders.  A 
gentlemau  in  private  dress  came  by  and  asked  the 
officer  why  he  didn't  help.  "  Sir,"  said  he,  "  I  am  a 
corporal."  The  gentleman  took  off  his  coat,  helped  the 
soldiers,  and  then,  turning  to  the  corporal,  said, 
"  When  you  have  another  such  job,  send  for  the  Com- 
mander-in-Chief, and  he  will  come  and  help  you  again." 

Orders,  of  course,  must  be  given,  but  we  must  not  be 
above  work — whoever  we  are,  let  us  be  amongst  the 
diggers. 

By  learning  and  reading  and  thinking,  by  prayer 
and  Bible  and  sermon,  let  us  make  the  valley  of  our 
life  full  of  trenches  for  the  rain  to  fill. 

Secondly^  some  ditches  which  we  must  dig. 

(«)  The  lesson  ditch. 

Old  men  say  to  us,  "  Learn,  learn  all  you  can  while 
young.**  So  say  I,  though  not  old  yet.  Learn  not 
merely  from  school-books,  but  from  other  books,  and 
not  merely  from  books,  but  from  people  and  from 
nature  also ;  for  birds  and  flowers,  sky  and  sea, 
mountain   and   valley,   have  many   lessons    to    teach, 


i6  DIGGING  DITCHES 

Make,  then,  as  many  ditches  as  time  will  let  you. 
When  I  was  a  small  boy  at  school,  Latin  seemed  very 
dry  and  hard,  so  I  asked  the  headmaster  to  let  me 
give  it  up,  as  I  should  not  need  it.  He  said,  "  No,  keep 
on  with  it ;  you  don't  know  what  use  it  may  be."  The 
first  thing  I  wanted  after  school-days  was  my  bit  of 
Latin  that  I  had  worked  hard  at  until  I  liked  it,  and 
so  the  Latin  ditch  was  not  in  vain. 

(5)  Obedience  is  a  ditch  we  must  dig.  It  is  tiresome 
not  to  be  allowed  to  do  as  we  like,  but  it  is  best.  Let 
us  learn  to  obey,  though  we  can't  always  see  the  use  of 
it.  We  shall  be  thirsty  soldiers  all  our  life  unless  we 
have  dug  a  deep,  deep  ditch  of  obedience. 

As  some  boys  were  playing  marbles,  the  rain  came 
on.  Fred,  one  of  the  youngest,  said,  "  I  must  go  home ; 
mother  said  I  must  not  go  out  in  the  rain."  "  Your 
mother — fudge  !  the  rain  won't  hurt  you  any  more  than 
it  will  us,"  shouted  the  others.  "  I'll  not  disobey  my 
mother  for  any  of  you,"  was  the  quick  reply. 

That  is  the  kind  of  ditch  to  dig.  God  will  fill  it  by 
and  by  with  His  own  rain. 

(c)  Faith  is  another  ditch  for  our  valley.  Let  us 
learn  to  think  about  God  and  to  believe  in  Him ; 
read  what  He  says  about  Himself  in  the  Bible;  and 
find  out  what  He  is  like  in  the  life  of  Jesus,  until  our 
hearts  can  trust  in  Him. 

This  is  the  most  important  ditch  of  aU,  and  we  shall 
need  it  more  than  any  other  by  and  by. 

There  are  many  Bible  trenches  we  may  dig  to  feed 


DIGGING  DITCHES  17 

this  faith-ditch.  When  we  learn  Ps.  xxiii.,  Isa.  liii., 
John  xiv.  and  xv.,  1  Cor.  xiii.,  we  are  digging  precious 
ditches. 

A  very  little  friend  of  mine  has  begun  her  digging 
early,  for  she  is  not  three  years  old.  When  her  nurse 
asked  her  the  other  day  whom  she, loved,  her  reply  was, 
"  I  love  Jesus ;  do  00,  Nana  ? " 

We  cannot  dig  ditches  of  love  and  trust  too  soon  or 
too  deep. 

Let  us  all  make  our  "  Valley  full  of  ditches,"  and  by 
and  by  we  bhall  find  them  filled  with  rain. 


jfull  Bitcbes 

"That  valley  shall  be  filled  with  water." 

2  Kings  iii.  17. 

There  were  no  clouds  telling  of  rain,  no  wind  that  had 
the  sound  of  rain  in  it,  and  the  valley  was  very  dry. 
How  tired  those  soldiers  must  have  got  of  their  ditch - 
digging  !  And  most  likely  some  of  them  became  cross 
as  well.  But  God  had  said,  "  Make  the  valley  full  of 
ditches,"  because  though  they  should  "  not  see  wind 
neither  see  rain,  yet  that  valley  should  be  filled  with 
water." 

And  so  it  was.  During  the  night,  as  the  tired  diggers 
slept,  rain  fell  up  among  the  hills,  and  came  rushing  in 
a  mountain  torrent  down  the  valley,  filling  up  all  their 
trenches,  and  then  away  it  went. 

So  it  will  be,  boys  and  girls,  in  reference  to  the 
ditches  of  which  we  were  speaking  in  our  last  sermon. 
They  shall  be  filled. 

1.  Our  Home  ditches  will  fill. 

The  best  and  happiest  men  have  had  to  thank  God 
for  the  ditches  they  had  to  dig  at  home. 

When  they  have  gone  out  into  the  world,  and  have 
had  to  obey  masters,  to  be  at  work  punctually,  and  to 

IS 


FULL  DITCHES  19 

do  things  with  exact  care,  they  have  said,  "  Thank  God, 
my  mother  made  me  obey,  taught  me  to  be  thorough, 
and  to  keep  time." 

"  There,"  said  Harry,  throwing  down  the  shoe-brush 
"  that'll  do.  My  shoes  don't  look  very  bright,  but  no 
matter.     Who  cares  ?  " 

"  My  boy,"  said  his  father,  who  had  overheard 
what  he  said  to  himself,  "your  shoes  look 
wretchedly.  Pick  up  the  brush,  and  make  them 
shine.  When  you  have  finished,  come  into  the 
house." 

He  made  them  shine,  and  went  to  his  father,  who 
said,  "  I  have  a  little  story  to  tell  you.  [  once  knew  a 
poor  boy,  whose  mother  taught  him  that  whatever  is 
worth  doing  is  worth  doing  well.  This  boy  went  out 
to  service  in  a  gentleman's  family,  and  he  took  pains  to 
do  everything  well,  no  matter  how  unimportant  it 
seemed.  His  employer  was  pleased,  and  took  him  into 
his  shop.  So  he  advanced  from  step  to  step,  until  he 
became  a  clerk,  and  then  a  partner  in  the  business. 
He  is  now  a  rich  man,  and  anxious  that  his  son  Harry 
should  learn  to  practise  the  rule  which  made  him 
prosper." 

"  Why,  father,  were  you  a  poor  boy  once  ? " 

"  Yes,  my  son,  so  poor  that  I  had  to  go  out  to  service, 
and  black  boots,  and  wait  at  table,  and  do  any 
menial  service  that  was  required  of  me.  By  doing  little 
things  well,  I  was  soon  trusted  with  more  important 
ones." 


20  FULL  DITCHES 

So  the  ditch  he  dug  at  home,  which  at  the  time 
seemed  no  use,  was  filled  with  prosperity. 

2.  School  ditches  will  fill  also. 

Lessons  are  often  hard,  but  some  of  the  hardest,  if  we 
work  hard  at  them,  will  become  very  enjoyable.  And 
then  knowledge  will  be  like  God's  rain  filling  the  lesson 
ditch. 

To  know,  and  be  able  to  do  because  we  know,  will  be 
to  have  a  'very  full  ditch. 

Who  would  care  to  be  a  dunce?  Who  would 
like  to  stand  on  the  form  wearing  a  tall  cap 
because  he  didn't  know  anything  ?  But  the  dunce 
is  the  boy  who  has  not  dug  any  ditches.  If  we 
dig  them,  knowledge  will  fill  them.  Don't  mind, 
then,  the  hard  school-digging,  for  the  reward  will 
come. 

3.  Bible  ditches  will  fill. 

In  later  life,  when  duties  are  many,  sorrows  heavy, 
and  temptations  severe,  the  promises  and  precepts 
we  have  stored  away  in  childhood  will  come  back  to 
help  and  cheer  us. 

We  are  inclined  to  say  now,  "  What's  the  use  of  so 
much  praying  and  reading  ? "  Dig  away,  and  some  day 
you  will  say,  "  God  has  filled  my  ditch." 

Kindness,  too,  is  a  trench  which  will  be  filled  some  day. 

I  will  tell  you  a  story  of  a  ditch  well  filled.  Many 
years  ago,  a  lady,  sitting  in  the  coach  which  ran  be- 
tween Glasgow  and  Greenock,  noticed,  when  just  past 
Bishopton,  a  barefooted,  tired  boy  struggling  along  the 


FULL  DITCHES  21 

road.  She  paid  for  a  seat  for  him  on  the  coach.  At 
Greenock  she  asked  him  what  he  was  going  to  do. 
He  said  he  wished  to  be  a  sailor.  She  gave  him 
half  a  crown,  and  wished  him  well.  Twenty  years 
afterwards  the  coach  was  going  to  Glasgow,  and  near 
Bishopton  one  of  the  passengers,  a  sea  captain,  saw 
an  old  lady  wearily  walking  along  the  road.  He  paid 
for  a  seat  for  her.  While  the  horses  were  changed  at 
Bishopton,  the  captain  talked  to  her,  and  she  thanked 
him  for  his  kindness.  He  told  her  how,  twenty  years 
ago,  a  lady  gave  him  a  seat  and  paid  for  it.  "Well 
do  I  remember  that,"  said  she.  "  I  am  that  lady, 
reduced  to  poverty  by  the  doings  of  a  prodigal  son." 
"  I,"  said  the  captain,  "  have  been  successful,  and 
am  retiring  home  to  live  on  my  fortune;  and  from 
this  day  I  shall  bind  myself  and  heirs  to  supply 
you  with  twenty-five  pounds  per  annum  till  your 
death." 

Thus  the  old  lady's  ditch  of  kindness  was — after 
twenty  years — filled. 

God  will  reward  all  our  true  and  earnest  digging ; 
and  the  promise  of  that  reward  should  cheer  us  to  dig. 

These  soldiers  were  helped  in  their  hard  digging  by 
this  promise  of  rain.  So  all  workers  are  cheered  by 
the  promise  of  reward.  The  farmer  ploughs  and 
sows,  because  God  has  promised  that  harvest  shall 
not  cease.  I  have  seen  children  by  the  sea  digging 
deep,  long  ditches  with  ever  so  much  care,  though 
there    was    no    water    in    them.      But    they   knew 


22  FULL  DITCHES 

the  tide  would  soon  be  coming  in.  And  what 
joy  when  the  first  wave  reached  their  first 
trench ! 

When  you  are  busy  at  home  or  in  school,  in  work  for 
yourself  or  others,  remember  the  promise,  "  The  valley 
shall  be  filled  with  water." 


Doing  ®ur  Best 

**  She  hath  done  what  she  could." 

Mark  xiv.  8. 

Mary,  the  sister  of  Lazarus,  had  just  simply  brought  an 
alabaster  cruse  of  precious  ointment,  and  after  Eastern 
fashion,  poured  it  over  Christ's  head.  In  this  way 
she  showed  her  love  to  Him.  Some  of  the  people 
thought  it  foolish  and  wasteful.  The  cruse  was  worth 
about  ten  pounds,  and  could  have  been  sold  and  the 
money  given  to  the  poor. 

But  Christ  would  not  have  her  blamed,  and  said 
that  throughout  the  world  her  act  should  be  spoken 
of.  Why  ?  Christ  could  have  done  without  the 
anointing  very  well.  He  had  not  counted  how  much 
it  was  worth.  He  loved  the  deed,  because  she  had 
done  her  best. 

This  answers  two  important  questions  in  the  life  of 
each  one  of  us — namely.  How  can  we  get  on  ?  and 
how  can  we  win  the  approval  of  those  about  us  ? 

1.  There  are  many  things  we  cannot  do  we  should 
like  to  do,  but  we  can  do  our  best. 

"  If  I  could  paint  Hke  a  Dor^,  I  would  paint,"  says 
one.     "  If  I  could  play  cricket  like  Grace,  I  should  be 


24  DOING  OUR  BEST 

a  cricketer,"  says  another.  "  If  I  could  learn  like  the 
cleverest  in  the  class,  I  should  work  hard,"  says  a  third. 

And  so  we  don't  paint  or  cricket  or  work,  because 
we  can't  be  of  the  first  ones.  But  that  is  not  the  way 
at  all.  The  great  thing  is  that  we  should  do  our 
best,  and  we  shall  be  sure  to  accomplish  something 
worth  while. 

When  Mr.  Gladstone  was  giving  the  prizes  at  a 
Wimbledon  school,  he  asked  the  boys  this  question, 
"  If  you  were  told  to  jump,  what  would  you  do  ? " 
The  eager  reply  of  the  boys  was,  "  We  would  jump  as 
high  as  ever  we  could." 

Yes,  that's  it.  Not  as  high  as  Smith  the  champion, 
but  "  as  high  as  ever  we  could."  That  is  doing  their 
best.  It  is  only  when  we  do  things  lazily  and  slovenly 
that  we  need  be  ashamed  of  them.    . 

There  was  a  member  of  the  House  of  Commons  who 
had  risen  from  very  lowly  life  by  his  diligence  and 
perseverance,  and  made  for  himself  an  honourable 
name.  He  was  taunted  one  day  by  a  man  of  higher 
birth,  who  ought  to  have  had  better  manners,  with  his 
humble  origin.  "I  remember,"  said  he,  "when  you 
blacked  my  father's  boots."  "Well,  sir,"  was  the 
gentlemanly  reply,  "  did  I  not  do  it  well .? " 

He  was  not  ashamed  of  his  boot-cleaning,  since  he 
knew  he  did  his  best  at  it. 

Boys  and  girls,  always  remember  that  the  lowliest 
service  is  high  and  honourable,  if  we  bring  a  true  spirit 
to  it  and  do  our  level  best. 


DOING  OUR  BEST  25 

2.  Another  thing  Christ's  defence  of  Mary  proves; 
that  it  was  not  the  deed  itself  that  made  it  approved, 
but  because  it  was  the  best  she  could  do. 

If  the  cruse  had  been  worth  much  less,  and  yet  her 
best,  Christ  would  have  loved  it  equally.  You  re- 
member His  praise  of  the  poor  woman  who  gave  only 
two  mites.  But  they  were  her  best,  and  Christ  there- 
fore approved  them  more  than  the  greater  gifts. 

If  we  do  a  great  thing  which  is  not  our  best,  it  is 
small.  Someone  looking  over  the  map  you  have  drawn 
at  school  says,  "  It  is  very  good,"  but  the  master, 
standing  by,  says,  "  No ;  it  would  have  been  good  for  a 
lower  boy  in  the  class,  but  he  could  have  done  better." 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  your  best  is  small,  it  is  really 
great.  I  have  a  bird  worked  in  wool  by  a  tiny  girl. 
If  you  saw  it,  you  might  say  it  was  poor  work.  But, 
knowing  the  worker,  I  say,  "  No,  it  is  very,  very  good." 

In  the  Flower  Service  the  children  brought  wonder- 
ful flowers,  —  flowers  arranged  in  baskets  and  in 
bunches  charmingly;  and  presently  a  poor  little  un- 
kempt child  brings  a  very  few  wild  flowers,  unarranged 
and  untied.  The  child  is  as  great  a  contrast  to  the 
other  children  as  are  her  flowers  to  theirs.  But  as  I 
see  her  coming,  I  understand  her  need,  and  feel  sure 
that  the  dear  Christ  is  saying,  "  She  hath  done  what 
she  could,"  and  that  He  loves  her  tiny  gift,  because  it 
is  her  best. 

A  prince  went  into  his  vineyard  to  examine  it.  He 
came  to  the  peach  tree  and  said,  "  What  are  you  doing 


26  DOING  OUR  BEST 

for  me?"  The  tree  said,  "In  the  spring  I  give  my 
blossoms  and  fill  the  air  with  fragrance,  and  on  my 
boughs  hang  the  fruit  which  men  will  gather  and  carry 
into  the  palace  for  you."  "Well  done!"  said  the 
prince.  To  the  chestnut  he  said,  "What  are  you 
doing ? "  "I  am  making  nests  for  the  birds,  and 
shelter  cattle  with  my  leaves  and  spreading  branches." 
"  Well  done  ! "  said  the  prince.  Then  he  went  down  to 
the  meadow,  and  asked  the  grass  what  it  was  doing' 
"  We  are  giving  up  our  lives  for  others,  for  your  sheep 
and  cattle,  that  they  may  be  nourished  "  ;  and  the  prince 
said, "  Well  done  ! "  Last  of  all,  he  asked  the  tiny  daisy 
what  it  was  doing,  and  the  daisy  said, "  Nothing,  nothing. 
I  cannot  make  a  nesting-place  for  the  birds,  and  I 
cannot  give  shelter  to  the  cattle,  and  I  cannot  send 
fruit  into  the  palace,  and  I  cannot  even  give  food  for 
the  sheep  and  the  cows — they  do  not  w^ant  me  in  the 
meadow.  All  I  can  do  is  to  be  the  best  little  daisy  I 
can  be."  And  the  prince  bent  down  and  kissed  the 
daisy,  and  said,  "  There  is  oione  letter  than  thon!' 

Do  not  let  us  be  discouraged  if  we  cannot  do  what 
some  others  do,  or  if  we  have  not  what  others  have. 
Be,  and  do  your  best. 

"That  man  is  blest 
Who  does  his  best, 
And  leaves  the  rest, 
And  doesn't  worry." 


"Make  for  yourselves  purses  which  wax  not  old." 

Luke  xii.  33  (R.V.). 

Something  we  are  to  make  both  by  ourselves,  and  for 
ourselves.  What  boy  or  girl  is  there  who  has  not 
had  the  joy  of  making  something  all  by  them- 
selves ? 

Do  you  not  remember  the  joy  you  felt  when  you 
finished  your  first  piece  of  woolwork  all  by  your- 
self ? 

I  have  seen  more  boys  than  one  with  knife,  hammer, 
and  saw,  boat-building  on  their  own  account.  And 
when  out  of  a  rough  piece  of  wood  there  came  a 
somewhat  shapeful  boat,  what  joy  the  builder  felt ! 
He  looks  at  it  with  pride  and  says, "  Not  so  bad."  The 
keel  is  not  quite  even  nor  the  mast  quite  straight,  and 
on  the  water  she  lists  a  little,  but  none  of  these 
imperfections  mar  much  the  joy  of  having  made  some- 
thing, nor  the  pride  with  which  he  shows  it  to  his 
sister,  saying,  "  I  made  it  all  myself,  and  no  one 
helped  me." 

27 


28  PURSE^MAKING 

And  then  something  for  ourselves.  Not  selfishly 
or  greedily,  but  something  we  need.  Girls  understand 
better  than  boys  the  joy  of  having  made,  for  instance, 
the  first  garment  for  themselves,  which  saves  toil  and 
expense  to  someone  else. 

So  Christ's  beautiful  saying  reminds  us  of  these 
two  things,  Made  by  myself  and  for  myself. 

Let  me  ask  you  to  think  about  two  things.  First, 
What  -we  are  to  make ;  and  secondly ,  Why  we  are  to 
make  it. 

First,  What  we  are  to  make. 

"  Make  for  yourselves  purses."  I  don't  think  I  ever 
knew  anyone  fond  of  making  purses.  I  have  known 
them  make  marble-bags  and  book-bags,  but  never  a 
purse.  Whether  it  is  that  purses  are  so  cheap, 
it  is  not  worth  the  trouble  to  make  our  own ; 
or  that  money  is  so  scarce  we  do  not  like  to  risk 
it  in  a  self-made  purse,  I  don't  know.  But  there 
is  the  fact  that  few  people  make  their  own 
purses. 

Christ  wants  us  to  be  busy  purse-making.  The 
kind  of  purse  Christ  means  is  suggested  to  us  in  the 
following  words — "  that  wax  not  old."  I  asked  a  little 
maiden  if  she  knew  the  meaning  of  "  wax  "  and  her 
quick,  sprightly  reply  was,  "  Oh  yes ;  my  doll  is  made 
of  wax."  But  that  is  not  quite  the  meaning  here. 
We  should  say,  in  our  modern  English,  "  purses  that 
grow  not  old." 

Then  we  may  be  quite  sure  Christ  does  not  mean 


PURSE-MAKING  29 

ordinary  purses.  Did  any  of  my  young  friends  ever 
know  a  purse  that  would  keep  always  new  ?  No ;  we 
can  get  purses  of  various  material — leather  or  paper, 
silk  or  wool,  cotton  or  velvet,  ivory  or  tortoiseshell, 
purses  of  all  sizes  and  shapes,  and  they  are  all 
alike  in  this,  that  they  grow  old.  They  become 
dirty  and  faded,  holey  and  insecure,  so  that  by 
and  by  you  throw  them  aside  for  others,  newer  and 
better. 

But  the  purses  Christ  speaks  of  never  get  old. 
What  are  they?  Where  can  we  get  material  from 
to  make  them  ? 

Look  at  Christ's  verse  and  you  have  the  answer. 
"  Sell  that  ye  have  and  give  alms,"  says  Christ.  As  if 
all  they  gave  away  to  others  would  be  like  making 
ever-new  purses. 

It  means  more  than  that,  but  it  is  enough  at  present 
for  boys  and  girls  to  remember  that  by  doing  good  to 
others,  by  cheering  and  helping  those  about  us,  we 
are  "  making  purses  which  wax  not  old."  Every  kind 
word,  each  unselfish  deed  is  like  such  a  purse.  Instead 
of  spending  all  your  money  on  yourself  at  Christmas, 
you  sent  a  doll  to  the  poor  cripple  child  in  the  city ; 
instead  of  taking  your  innings  at  cricket,  you  gave  it 
up  to  another  who  had  been  unlucky  in  not  getting  a 
game ;  instead  of  going  out  to  play,  you  stayed  in  and 
read  to  your  sick  mother;  instead  of  spending  the 
sixpence  given  you  on  some  white  mice  which  you 
much  wished  to  have,  you  gave  it  to  the  poor  children's 


30  PURSE-MAKING 

country  holiday  fund.  All  these  are  purses  which 
never  grow  old. 

Secondly,  Why  make  these  purses  ? 

What  do  you  make  any  purses  for?  To  carry 
money  when  you  can  get  it.  An  empty  purse  is 
not  much  use, — indeed,  it  is  one  of  the  most  useless 
things  I  know  of.  Too  small  for  marbles  and 
tops,  for  needles  and  cotton,  for  sweets  and  cake,  it 
is  made  so  thoroughly  for  money,  and  money  only, 
that  you  don't  seem  able  to  make  any  other  use 
of  it. 

The  purses  Christ  wants  us  to  make  "for  our- 
selves" are  to  carry  money  too — gold,  silver,  and 
copper. 

The  kind  deed  for  another  is  the  purse,  remember. 
Now,  when  we  have  done  it,  it  brings  us  pleasure. 
There  are  few  joys  in  life  like  that  of  giving  joy.  The 
boy  who  heartily  gives  up  his  innings  for  another, 
enjoys  it  more  than  if  he  went  in  himself.  This  is 
the  copper  in  our  purse. 

But  our  kind  deed  gave  joy  and  pleasure  to  the  one 
for  whom  it  was  done.  How  the  cripple  child  clapped 
her  hands  over  the  doll  you  sent !  The  knowledge  of 
that  is  the  silver  in  our  purse. 

But  Christ  said,  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  one  of 
these  least,  ye  did  it  unto  Me."  And  so  He  approves 
our  deed  of  kindness.  The  knowledge  of  that  is  the 
gold  in  our  purse. 

A  kind  deed  well  done  will  never  be  like  an  empty 


PURSE-MAKING  31 

purse ;  there  will  be  in  it  more  gold  than  silver,  more 
silver  than  copper.  And  that  is  the  way  we  like  our 
purses  to  be  filled. 

A  university  student  was  walking  one  day  with  his 
professor,  when  they  saw  by  a  gate  a  coat  and  a  pair 
of  old  shoes.  The  owner,  a  poor  man,  was  working 
in  the  field  close  by. 

"Let  us  hide  his  shoes,"  said  the  student,  "and 
hide  ourselves  behind  these  bushes,  and  watch  to  see 
his  perplexity  when  he  cannot  find  them." 

"My  dear  friend,"  said  the  professor,  "we  must 
never  amuse  ourselves  at  the  expense  of  the  poor. 
But  you  are  rich,  and  may  give  yourself  a  much 
greater  pleasure.  Put  a  crown  piece,  if  you  have 
them,  in  each  shoe,  and  tlun  we  will  hide  our- 
selves." 

He  did  so,  and  they  watched  behind  the  bush. 
Presently  out  the  man  came.  He  put  on  his  coat, 
threw  oft"  one  field  boot  and  thrust  his  foot  into  a  shoe. 
Something  hard  hurt  his  toe.  Thinking,  I  doubt  not, 
some  wilful  boy  had  put  in  a  stone,  he  turned  up  the 
shoe  and  shook  out  a  crown  piece.  He  picked  it  up, 
looked  at  it  again  and  again,  then  about  on  all  sides 
to  see  who  had  done  it,  but  could  see  no  one,  while 
all  the  time  four  earnest  eyes  were  staring  at  him  from 
behind  the  bush.  When  the  second  shoe  produced 
another  crown  piece,  his  astonishment  was  very  great, 
and  his  feelings  quite  overcame  him.  "Who  can 
have    done    this?"      So,    because    he    could   see  no 


32  PURSE-MAKING 

one,  he  knelt  down  in  the  grass  and  he  thanked 
God,  telUng  Him  about  his  sick  wife  and  needy  chil- 
dren, and  how  poor  he  was.  I  have  never  seen  the 
words  of  his  prayer,  but  I  can  imagine  what  it  would 
be  like. 

A  great,  great  joy  came  into  the  student's  heart, 
and  tears  ran  down  his  face ;  while  the  professor  said 
to  him,  "  Now,  are  you  not  better  pleased  than  if  you 
had  played  your  intended  trick  ? " 

"You  have  taught  me  a  lesson  that  I  shall  never 
forget.  I  feel  now  the  truth  of  the  words  which  I 
never  before  understood—'  It  is  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive.'" 

That  was  a  purse  rich  in  the  three  coins. 

The  great  difficulty  about  purses  is  not  that  they 
become  old,  but  that  they  are  so  empty.  It  is  so 
difficult  to  get  money  to  put  into  them. 

Let  your  purse  be  as  full  as  you  can.  The 
kind  deed  not  merely  done,  but  well  done.  We 
do  some  things  so  poorly  that  they  are  almost — 
if  not  quite  —  empty  purses :  they  neither  bring 
nor  give  much  pleasure,  nor  do  they  win  God's 
approval. 

Speaking  about  these  purses,  once,  in  one  of  our 
beautiful  cities,  a  bright  little  maid  of  about  seven 
was  in  the  congregation.  Her  auntie  was  to  be  married 
during  the  week,  and  she  was  going  to  give  her  a  new 
white  dress.  When  at  home,  the  Little  one  said, 
"Auntie,  I   shan't  give   you  a  white  dress.    I   shall 


PURSE-MAKING  33 

give   you   a   lovely   new   purse    instead,   full   of   new 
gold." 

May  many  ''  lovely  new  purses  "  full  of  new  money 
— copper  and  silver  and  gold  —be  yours,  bo3\s  and 
girls.      Auieu. 


"He  made  it  again  another  vessel." 

Jer.  xviii.  4. 

There  is  a  very  pretty  picture  in  this  text.  The 
prophet  was  told  by  God  to  go  down  from  the  temple 
into  the  valley,  where  the  potters  were  at  work,  and, 
while  he  watched  the  potter,  God  would  speak  to  him. 
So  he  went  down  to  the  potter's  house,  and  there  he 
was  at  work.  He  had  a  large  wheel  fixed  on  an 
upright  post,  with  a  wooden  disc  in  the  middle,  on 
which  he  placed  his  clay.  Then  the  wheel  was  made 
to  revolve  either  by  hand,  or  by  means  of  a  treadle, 
and  while  it  was  spinning  round,  the  potter,  with  his 
deft  fingers  and  hands,  moulded  the  clay  as  he  wished. 
The  prophet  noticed  that  sometimes  the  vessel  the 
potter  was  moulding  was  marred.  There  was  a  flaw  in 
the  clay,  or  perhaps  he  had  not  taken  quite  enough,  or 
maybe  a  little  false  pressure  had  spoiled  the  vessel. 
Then  the  potter  crushed  the  clay  again  into  a  shapeless 
mass,  and,  beginning  afresh,  fashioned  it  into  another 
vessel,  in  some  cases  a  different  one  altogether  from 
that  he  had  first  intended. 

We  can  all  understand  this  very  well.     We  have 


CLA  Y-MODELLING  35 

many  of  us  seen  a  potter  at  work,  and  if  not,  we  have 
all  tried  our  hands  at  clay  modelling  for  ourselves,  and 
know  its  difficulty.  We  have  tried  to  make  an 
elephant  or  a  cow,  a  dog  or  a  man.  And  how  often 
after  much  work,  we  have  had  to  double  up  our  clay 
and  begin  again. 

Hence  we  can  all  see  this  text :  "  When  the  vessel 
that  he  made  of  the  clay  was  marred  in  the  hand  of 
the  potter,  he  made  it  again  another  vessel." 

Leaving  the  lesson  which  God  had  to  teach  Jeremiah 
from  this  scene  in  the  potter's  house,  we  may  learn 
three  things. 

1.  We  are  all  like  clay-modellers.  Our  life,  with  its 
heart  and  mind  and  soul,  is  the  clay  which  we  are  to 
model  into  good  character.  We  may  say  that  the 
character  which  we  have  to  make  is  the  beautiful  and 
precious  vase  which  we  model  for  God. 

You  would  never  think,  when  you  see  the  lump  of 
clay  on  the  wheel  disc,  that  the  potter  could  make  any- 
thing elegant  out  of  it.  But  we  know  that  if  he  is 
skilful  he  can.  So  can  we  out  of  our  life.  But 
we  shall  have  to  mould  it.  We  don't  become  good 
by  chance.  "You  cannot  dream  yourself  into  a 
character.  You  must  hammer  and  forge  yourself 
one." 

Yes,  if  we  are  to  be  pure,  just,  loving,  honourable. 
God-fearing,  we  shall  have  to  take  pains  and  pray 
about  it. 

We   know   that    lessons   won't   be   known    without 


36  CLA  Y-MODELLING 

learning,  and  we  may  be  sure  guodness  won't  be  ours 
without  trying. 

The  word  "  character  "  is  from  the  Greek.  It  is  used 
by  them  to  express  the  impress  made  on  a  coin  or  seal 
by  the  die  or  mould.  The  head  of  the  Queen  on  your 
penny  is  the  "  character."  So  in  the  old  meaning  of  the 
word,  our  character  is  the  impress  we  leave  on  ourselves 
by  good  or  bad  modelling. 

2.  We  model  after  a  pattern.  The  potter  has  either 
a  vase  before  him  or  a  pattern  in  his  eye  by  which  he 
does  his  present  work. 

"Have  you,"  said  a  boy  to  me,  "a  picture  of  an 
elephant  ? "  "  What  do  you  want  it  for  ? "  "I  want 
to  mould  one."  Very  good,  for  the  boy  who  thinks  he 
knows  what  an  elephant  is  like,  because  he  has  seen  one 
a  few  times,  will  find  how  little  he  knows  when  he 
conies  to  model  one  in  real  clay. 

In  our  character-modelling  we  need  a  pattern.  We 
have  it  in  our  knowledge  of  goodness.  All  tJiat  we 
know  to  be  beautiful  and  right  may  serve  us  as 
pattern  to  work  by. 

But  our  knowledge  may  be  imperfect,  so  we  need 
another  and  better  pattern  as  well.  Jesus  Christ  is  our 
true  Model.  We  have  to  try  and  make  our  life  as  much 
like  His  as  we  can. 

And  while  we  are  trying  to  do  this,  we  must  not 
forget  that  He  is  helping  and  working  with  us,  and 
that  if  we  give  ourselves  to  Him,  what  we  cannot  do 
He  will.    And  thus  working  together  with  us,  there 


CLA  Y-MODELLING  37 

will  be  left  on  our  life  the  glorious  impress  of 
Christ. 

3.  Our  vessel  may  be  marred.  The  best  worker  has 
sometimes  to  begin  again.  When  we  have  been  clay- 
modelling  and  finished  our  elephant,  you  could  scarcely 
tell  what  it  was  ;  trunk  and  tail  were  so  much  alike,  you 
could  not  tell  which  end  was  head  or  tail.  You  felt 
disappointed,  but  you  began  again. 

It  is  so  in  character-modelling.  We  do  not  take 
enough  clay — not  enough  time  and  care  and  love — to 
finish  our  vessel.  We  are  at  times  Ijad  workers.  Care- 
lessness, sin,  folly,  sadly  spoil  our  work. 

As  we  get  older,  clay-modelling  seems  to  get  more 
difficult,  because  we  see  so  much  better  what  it  ought 
to  be.  Faults  we  did  not  detect  when  we  were  younger 
now  we  see. 

What  shall  we  do  ?  Give  up  clay-modelling  ?  No, 
never.  Try  again.  And  if  you  can't  make  just  the 
vessel  you  thought,  make  another,  and  by  and  by 
you  will  be  able  to  make  the  one  you  desire  most  of 
all. 

It  is  recorded  of  Wedgwood  that  he  was  trying 
to  make  an  imitation  of  the  Portland  Vase  in  the 
form  of  jasper  ware.  In  the  soft  clay  the  vases 
were  done  to  perfection,  but  when  they  came  out 
of  the  oven  they  were  spoiled.  This  went  on  for  six 
months.  Then  one  of  the  workmen  said  to  Wedgwood 
in  despair,  "Master,  we  have  drawn  the  oven  again, 
and  we  haven't  got  a  single  good  vase."     The  master's 


38  CLA  Y-MO BELLING 

reply  was,  "Well,  you  have  had  your  wages,  haven't 
you ?     Go  on" 

They  did  go  on,  and  shortly  after,  they  succeeded, 
and  the  celebrated  vase  was  produced. 

•'If  you  don't  succeed  at  first, 
Try,  try  again." 

And  then,  when  we  have  finished  our  clay-modelling, 
we  shall  be  able  to  bring  to  God  a  character- vase  which 
He  will  prize. 

Be  good  modellers,  boys  and  girls,  and  God  will  help 
you  more  and  more. 

A  child  once  asked  Charles  Kingsley  to  write  a  song 
for  her,  and  this  was  what  he  wrote — 

"  My  fairest  Child,  I  have  no  song  to  give  you ; 
No  lark  could  pipe  in  skies  so  dull  and  grey ; 
Yet,  if  you  will,  one  quiet  hint  I'll  leave  you 
For  every  day. 

' '  I'll  tell  you  how  to  sing  a  clearer  carol 

Than  lark  who  hails  the  dawn  or  breezy  down ; 
To  earn  yourself  a  purer  poet's  laurel 

Than  Shakespeare's  crown : 

"  Be  good,  sweet  maid,  and  let  who  can  be  clever  : 
Do  lovel}'^  things,  not  dream  them,  all  day  long; 
And  so  make  Life  and  Death,  and  that  For  Ever 
One  grand,  sweet  song." 


1be^ae=BveaF:et0 


"Whoso  breaketh  a  hedge,  a  serpent  shall  bite  him." 

ECCLES.    X.    8. 


Serpents  hide  away  from  you.  They  coil  themselves 
up  amongst  the  bracken  and  long  grass ;  sometimes  at 
the  bottom  of  the  hedge,  or  in  a  hole,  or  amongst  the 
stones,  you  may  see  their  bright  eyes  as  they  rest  in 
the  sun.  The  hedge  of  which  the  text  speaks  would 
be  a  stone  wall,  an  old  wall,  the  crannies  of  which  are 
the  favourite  haunts  of  serpents,  so  that  when  men 
are  engaged  pulling  such  a  wall  down,  they  have  to 
be  careful  lest  a  serpent  bite  them. 

Amos  speaks  of  a  man  going  into  his  house,  leaning 
his  hand  on  the  wall,  and  a  serpent  bites  him.  This 
would  be  a  mud  wall,  ever  liable  to  crack  and  break 
and  not  so  compact  as  ours,  where  therefore  serpents 
could  lie. 

I  daresay,  if  you  turned  over  the  dry  stone  wall  of 
any  orchard  or  vineyard  in  Palestine,  you  would  find 
snakes.  And  I  know  some  boys  who  would  love  to 
hunt  for  them. 

Our  text  speaks  of  the  man  who  is  taking  down 
the  old  wall,  and  the  serpent  bites  him.      The  hedge- 


40  HEDGE-BREAKERS 

breaker  of  the  verse  is  the  man  who  is  trying  to  make 
things  better  in  his  city  by  pulling  down  some  of 
the  old  abominations.  He  is  what  we  to-day  call  a 
Eeformer.  Now  the  writer  warns  him  that  "  Whoso 
breaketh  a  hedge,  a  serpent  shall  bite  him."  If  he 
tries  to  pull  down  the  old  hedge  and  put  a  better  one 
in  its  place,  he  must  not  wonder  if  he  suffers. 

And  in  that  sense  the  text  has  something  to  say  to 
boys  and  girls  well  worth  their  hearing.  We  must  try 
and  do  all  the  good  we  can,  and  whenever  we  find  oufc 
any  evil,  pull  it  down  and  put  good  in  its  place.  But 
old  evils,  like  old  walls,  have  many  nasty  things  in 
them  that  bite. 

If,  for  instance,  you  find  cheating  going  on  in  the 
class  or  on  the  playground,  and  you  do  your  best  to 
stop  it,  and  get  everyone  to  do  the  right,  you  won't 
find  it  easy.  Some  may  call  you  nicknames,  others 
may  try  to  get  you  into  trouble. 

But  we  must  not  give  up  because  good-doing  is 
difficult.  Some  of  those  who  have  served  their  country 
most  nobly  have  suffered  most. 

But  it  is  another  kind  of  hedge-breaking  that  I 
want  to  speak  to  you  about.  He  that  breaketh 
through  a  hedge,  when  he  ought  not,  a  serpent  shall 
bite  him. 

God  has  put  three  hedges  about  our  life,  which  we 
are  liable  to  break  through. 

1.  The  Home  Hedge. 

The  law  of  mother  and  father  is  like  God's  fence 


HEDGE-BREAKERS  41 

about  our  life.  The  rule  of  home,  which  says  we  must 
not  go  out  without  leave,  and  must  come  in  at  a 
certain  time ;  which  sends  us  to  bed,  and  makes  us 
get  up;  which  decides  what  friends  we  shall  have, 
and  the  kind  of  games  we  shall  play, — all  this  is 
God's  hedge  about  our  child  life. 

We  don't  always  like  the  hedge,  and  are  often 
tempted  to  break  through  it.  If  ever  any  of  you 
should  be  so  tempted,  remember  the  text. 

This  incident  was  sent  to  me  from  America  recently : 

There  is  in  the  State  prison  at  Stillwater,  Minnesota 
a  young  man  sentenced  to  a  life  imprisonment.  His 
parents  were  cultured  Christian  people  who  possessed 
abundant  means,  and  Charles  was  educated  in  the  best 
colleges  our  country  affords. 

"After  graduating  from  Johns  Hopkins  University, 
he  wanted  to  perfect  his  knowledge  of  chemistry  and 
went  to  the  University  of  Berlin  for  that  purpose. 

"  Charles  had  always  been  a  wayward  boy,  and  while 
abroad,  fell  in  with  a  wild  set  of  young  men.  With 
his  impulsive  natm^e,  it  was  hard  to  withstand  tempta- 
tion, and  he  soon  drifted  from  bad  to  worse.  On  his 
return  to  America,  his  parents  were  nearly  heart- 
broken at  the  change,  and  the  mother  died  soon 
afterwards. 

"  One  day,  in  a  drunken- frenzy,  he  committed  a  crime 
that  brought  the  punishment  stated  above. 

"Not  long  ago,  in  conversation  with  him,  a  friend 
asked   him   what  he    considered    the   first   step   that 


42  HEDGE-BREA  KERS 

led    him    to    the    downward    road.       This    was    his 
reply: 

" '  Nothing  more  or  less  than  disobedience  to  my 
'parents!  " 

2.  The  School  Hedge. 

School  is  the  place  of  discipline,  learning,  and  sport 
Its  laws  are  punctuality,  obedience,  industry.  We 
must  not  copy,  must  not  cheat,  must  not  play  at  work 
and  ever  so  much  more,  well  known  to  all  schoolboys 
and  girls.  "  What's  the  use  of  it  all  ? "  we  sometimes 
say.  It  is  a  hedge  about  our  life,  helping  us  to  get 
knowledge  and  become  wise,  and  be  successful  in  the 
world.  Don't  break  through  it.  Playing  truant 
cheating,  laziness,  these  are  hedge-breaking;  and  a 
serpent  will  bite  us. 

3.  The  Conscience  Hedge. 

A  boy,  going  home  through  the  fields  on  a  hot  day> 
was  lounging  round  a  pond,  when  at  the  side  he 
saw  a  frog  sitting  up  as  still  and  quiet  as  frogs  only 
sit.  His  bright  eyes  were  shining  in  the  sun,  which 
Mr.  Frog  was  evidently  greatly  enjoying.  The  boy 
had  a  stick,  of  course,  and  as  he  saw  the  frog's  head,  a 
tempting  target,  up  went  the  stick  to  strike.  While, 
like  the  golf-player,  he  was  taking  aim,  something 
within  him  said,  "  Don't,  don't,"  and  he  didn't.  Why 
indeed  should  he  hurt  the  helpless,  harmless  creature  ? 
At  home  he  told  his  mother,  asking  her,  "What  was 
it  that  said,  Don't"?  She  replied,  "Well,  my  boy 
learned  men  call  that  '  conscience/  but  I  call  it  God's 


HEDGE-BREAKERS  43 

Voice.  It  will  often  speak  to  you.  If  you  pay  atten- 
tion to  it,  the  voice  will  grow  clearer,  but  if  you  do  not 
regard  and  obey  that  voice,  it  will  gradually  leave  off 
speaking  to  you,  and  leave  you  to  go  your  own  way." 

Yes,  it  is  just  so,  boys  and  girls.  Keep  this  hedge, 
and  it  will  fend  us  from  wrong,  and  help  us  to  do 
right.     Break  through  it,  and  the  serpent  will  bite  us. 

And  serpents'  bites  are  cruel,  deadly  things. 

Let  us  make  this  our  rule,  never  to  break  through 
the  hedges  of  our  life.  And  when  we  are  old,  we  shall 
be  thanlvful  and  glad. 


XKIloot)*6atberers 

"The  children  gather  wood." 

Jer.  vii.  18. 

Who  hasn't  seen  the  stick-gatherers  in  the  country  or 
in  the  woods  near  town.  Women  with  aprons  full, 
children  drai^ging  fallen  branches,  and  with  arms  full  of 
sticks,  and  sometimes  men  with  sacks  filled  to  the  top. 

Ever  since  sticks  fell,  people  have  gathered  them, 
When  Ehjah  met  the  poor  widow  who  had  only  a 
handful  of  meal  left,  and  a  very  little  oil  in  the 
house,  she  was  gathering  sticks.  And  so  poor  was 
she,  and  her  requirements  so  small,  that  she  said  she 
was  "  gathering  two  sticks,"  meaning  a  very  small 
quantity  (1  Kings  xvii.  12). 

You  will  remember  about  one  stick-gatherer  who 
went  about  his  work  on  a  Sunday,  and  what  befel  him 
(Num.  XV.  32). 

So  our  text  speaks  of  a  far-away  day,  when,  in  the 
worship  of  the  "  Queen  of  Heaven,"  the  children  were 
the  stick-gatherers.  The  people  had  become  wicked  and 
idolatrous,  and  they  thought  they  would  have  good 
harvests  and  plenty  of  grapes  if  they  could  be  on  good 
terms  with  the  deity  represented  by  the  sun  and  the 


WOOD-GATHERERS  45 

moon,  so  they  worshipped  the  sun  as  Baal,  and  the 
moon  as  "  Queen  of  Pleaven." 

In  this  latter  worship  they  offered  sweet  cakes  made 
round  like  the  full  moon,  and  covered  with  lights. 
These  cakes  were  burned  in  her  honour.  There  were 
three  things  in  the  preparation  of  the  cakes — the  sticks, 
the  fire,  and  the  dough.  The  fathers  made  the  fire  to 
cook  the  cake,  the  mothers  kneaded  the  paste,  and  the 
children  gathered  the  wood  for  the  fire.  Thus  father 
mother,  and  child  each  had  their  share  in  the  pre- 
paration for  the  worship  of  the  "  Queen  of  Heaven." 

It  is  very  rarely  that  in  the  religions  of  the  world 
there  is  any  place  for  children.  A  sorrowing  mother 
in  China  brought  her  little  girl  to  the  missionary, 
and  asked  him  to  take  it.  He  asked  her  why,  and  her 
reply  was,  "  Because  yours  is  the  only  God  who  cares 
for  children." 

There  is  much  truth  in  that :  the  religion  of  Christ  is 
the  religion  of  childhood  as  wxll  as  of  men  and  women. 

Let  me  ask  you  to  learn  from  these  young  wood- 
gatherers. 

1.  Children  may  be  Christ's  vjorsM'ppeTs.  In  the 
worship  of  Christ,  far  nobler  and  happier  than  that  of 
the  "  Queen  of  Heaven,"  the  young  are  found. 

Christ  loves  our  friendship,  our  love,  our  adoration, 
and  our  prayer.  He  is  so  gentle  and  good.  His  service 
is  so  simple,  that  we  need  not  wait  until  we  are  men 
and  women  before  we  become  His  sincere  worshippers, 

Christ  has  sympathy  with  the  thoughts  and  joys  of 


46  WOOD-GA  THERERS 

our  childhood.  And  from  our  earliest  life  we  have 
something  within  that  responds  to  Christ. 

In  Sunday  school  a  teacher  asked  her  class  how  soon 
they  thought  we  might  give  our  hearts  to  God.  The 
answers  w^ere  many,  and  all  mentioned  some  particular 
age  (ten,  nine,  twelve,  and  so  on),  except  one,  and  her 
reply,  by  far  the  truest  and  best,  was — 

"  As  soon  as  luefeel  that  we  are  sinners,  and  knovj  who 
God  is." 

At  whatever  age  that  knowledge  comes,  when  we  are 
three  or  four  or  five  or  six  years  old,  we  may  become 
Christ's  worshippers. 

We  belong  to  Him  even  before  we  feel  that  we  are 
sinners  and  know  who  God  is.  And  if,  immediately  we 
come  to  feel  sin,  we  acknowledge  ourselves  as  God's, 
and  trust  in  Him  as  our  Saviour  and  Father,  then  we 
may  be  amongst  His  worshippers  all  our  life. 

Many  of  the  best  and  most  useful  people  in  the  world 
began  to  serve  God  for  themselves  very  early. 

Old  Polycarp,  who  was  martyred  when  ninety-five 
years  of  age,  said  he  had  served  God  eighty-six  years. 

Matthew  Henry  the  commentator  began  to  love  God 
when  he  was  not  quite  eleven  years  old. 

Isaac  Watts,  the  lovely  singer,  before  he  was  nine ; 
and  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  American  philosopher  and 
theologian,  thought  he  began  to  love  God  before  he  was 
seven. 

Let  no  boy  or  girl  think  that  they  are  too  young  to 
be  among  Christ's  earnest  lovers. 


WOOD-  GA  THERERS  47 

2.  Children  may  be  Christ's  workers.  These 
children  in  Israel  gathered  the  sticks  for  their 
queen. 

We  have  no  fire  to  make  for  Christ,  but  we  can  be 
His  wood-gatherers  in  other  and  much  brighter  ways. 

1.  We  can  bring  to  Him  our  own  Ixart  service. 

Our  love  and  praise  and  prayer  we  can  offer  Him. 

You  sing  sometimes — 

"  Saviour,  blessed  Saviour  I 

Listen  while  \ve  sing. 
Hearts  and  voices  raising 

Praises  to  our  King. 
All  we  have  to  offer, 

All  we  hope  to  be. 
Body,  soul,  and  spirit, 

Now  we  yield  to  Thee." 

That  is  wood-gathering  for  Christ  in  a  high  and 
happy  sense. 

o.  Doing  little  things  for  Christ. 

Some  of  you  are  missionary  collectors.  That  is  like 
gathering  sticks.  Eemember,  as  you  go  your  round 
collecting,  that  each  penny  you  get  is  like  a  stick 
gathered  for  Christ,  which  He  will  accept. 

Then,  better  still,  we  may  try  to  get  others  to  love 
Christ,  or  help  those  who  do  love  Him.  Sometimes  a 
tiny  word  from  us  amongst  our  schoolfellows  and  friends 
may  make  others  think.  And  our  faithfulness  to 
Christ  will  certainly  help  others  to  be  true  to  Him.  If 
ever  you  help  a  little  friend  to  find  Christ,  you  will  be 
in  the  most  wondrous  sense  a  wood-gatherer  for  Him. 


48  WOOD-GATHERERS 

Now,  I  am  sure  none  of  yon  would  object  to  gather 
sticks  for  mother  if  she  needed  them.  You  would  walk 
miles  along  the  lanes  and  sides  of  the  fields  to  bring 
home  a  good  armful. 

And  why  ?  Because  mother  has  done  so  much  for 
us,  and  we  love  her  ?  Yes,  that  is  true.  But  also 
because  we  ought  to — it  is  our  duty  to  help  mother. 

Much  more  will  we  be  wood-gatherers  for  Christ. 
We  can  all  do  something  for  Him. 

Once  in  a  English  shipyard  a  large  vessel  was  being 
launched.  The  wedges  had  been  knocked  away,  but 
the  ship  did  not  go.  Amongst  the  many  who  were 
trying  to  get  the  ship  to  move  was  a  boy.  Someone  in 
the  crowd  laughed  at  him.  His  reply  was,  "  I  can  push 
a  pound."     Quite  so,  and  that  was  worth  doing. 

I  remember,  when  I  was  a  boy  living  by  the  seaside, 
helping  the  boatmen  to  pull  up  their  pleasure-boats. 
No.  14  was  my  favourite.  I  couldn't  pull  much,  but  I 
did  my  best,  and  the  skipper  of  the  boat  one  day  gave 
me  a  free  sail.  I  put  in  my  pound,  and  that  was  better 
than  nothing. 

If  we  cannot  gather  as  much  as  some  do  for  Christ, 
let  us  all  do  what  we  can. 

"  The  children  gather  wood." 


H  Cbance  Brrow^ 

**  And  a  certain  man  drew  his  bow  at  a  venture,  and  smote  the  king 
of  Israel  between  the  joints  of  the  harness." — 1  Kings  xxii.  34. 

When  Ahab,  king  of  Israel,  conquered  Benhadad  the 
king  of  Syria  at  Aphek,  he  spared  liim  on  condition 
that  he  would  give  up  all  the  cities  which  his  father 
had  taken.  But  Benhadad  failed  to  keep  his  promise, 
so  far  as  Eamoth-Gilead  was  concerned.  Hence,  when 
Jehoshaphat,  king  of  Judah,  was  visiting  Ahab,  he 
promised  to  help  him  take  Kamoth  -  Gilead.  With 
their  combined  forces  they  marched  against  Benhadad. 
Ahab,  fearing  that  his  enemy  would  make  a  mark  of 
him,  disguised  himself,  that  is,  took  off  his  royal  robes 
and  went  into  the  battle  as  a  common  soldier,  while 
Jehoshaphat  went  in  his  own  robes.  The  Syrian  king 
did  exactly  what  Ahab  thought  he  would.  He  told 
his  captains  to  fight  with  no  one,  small  or  great,  save 
only  with  the  king  of  Israel,  thinking,  I  suppose, 
that  if  he  could  kill  the  king,  he  would  easily  conquer 
the  subjects.  The  captains  saw  Jehoshaphat  with  his 
royal  robes  and  said,  "  Surely  this  is  the  king,"  and 
turned  aside  to  fight  against  him.  Then  Jehoshaphat 
4 


50  A  CHANCE  ARROW 

made  it  known  that  he  was  not  Ahab,  so  they  ceased 
pursuing  him. 

Search  as  they  would,  these  thirty-two  captains 
could  not  find  the  man  they  wanted,  upon  finding 
whom  the  battle  was  to  turn.  Then  one  of  the  soldiers, 
taking  aim  at  one  of  the  enemy,  draws  his  bowstring 
to  his  ear,  and  away  flies  the  arrow.  He  hits  the  man 
he  was  aiming  at,  taking  him  as  a  common  soldier. 
The  arrow  pierced  through  at  the  joints  between  the 
l)reastplate  and  lower  armour,  and  brought  down,  not 
a  common  soldier,  but  the  King  of  Israel, 

Thus,  what  the  captains  with  their  special  commission 
failed  to  do,  this  non-commissioned  man  did. 

In  our  words  and  deeds  we  are  often  like  this  Syrian 
soldier,  shooting  chance  arrows, — arrows  well  aimed  at 
something,  but  striking  a  target  we  had  not  expected. 

1.  It  is  often  so  in  the  things  loe  do.  Some  of  the 
greatest  consequences  come  out  of  the  smallest  deeds. 

There  is  a  boy  blowing  soap-bubbles,  as  I  suppose 
we  all  have  done.  He  thought  of  nothing  much  but 
the  beauty  and  size  of  the  bubble,  and  how  long  it 
would  last  before  it  would  burst.  But  Newton,  the 
great  philosopher,  watched  him,  and  was  helped  to 
some  of  his  most  important  discoveries  in  optical 
instruments.  Yes,  much  may  come  even  out  of  our 
bubble-blowing. 

When  the  Danes  were  invading  Scotland,  they  pre- 
pared for  a  night  attack  on  the  sleeping  garrison. 
When    near,    they    crept    along    barefoot,    and    had 


A  CHANCE  ARROW 


51 


almost  reached  the  spot,  when  one  of  the  Danish 
soldiers  stepped  on  a  great  thistle,  which  made  him  cry 
out.  The  cry  aroused  the  sleepers,  and  all  sprang  to 
arms,  with  the  result  that  the  Danes  were  driven  l)ack. 

I  believe  that  the  idea  of  printing  was  first  suggested 
by  a  man  cutting  his  name  in  the  bark  of  a  tree,  and 
then  getting  an  impression  of  it  on  paper  which  he 
placed  over  it. 

You  will  all  be  able  to  recall  many  other  instances 
of  the  same  fact,  that  often  the  small  chance  deeds  of 
life  work  the  greatest  results.  The  most  important 
arrow  of  all  shot  on  this  battlefield  was  the  one  of  our 
text,  and  the  archer  thought  nothing  about  it. 

These  chance  arrows  are  shot  hy  us  when  we  are 
doing  things  about  which  we  say,  "  Oh,  it's  no  use''  If 
anyone  had  told  this  man  of  our  text  that  he  might 
likely  shoot  the  king  and  win  the  battle,  he  would 
have  laughed  at  the  idea  and  said,  "  Not  I." 

We  often  can't  see  how  we  can  do  a  particular  thing, 
and  therefore  don't  try.  Some  of  tliose  vvho  have  won 
the  greatest  distinction  in  school,  when  they  began 
would  have  said,  if  questioned,  "  It  is  not  much  use 
for  me  to  try,  I  am  not  clever."  Never  mind,  shoot 
the  arrow  you  have  got,  and  who  can  tell  what  it  will 
lead  to. 

When  we  say  about  something,  "  it  doesn't  matter," 
we  may  be  shooting  an  arrow  which  will  matter  very 
much.  The  boy  cheating  at  marbles,  the  girl  careless 
about  her  friendships,  the  young  man  giving  up  church- 


52  ^   A  CHANCE  ARROW 

going,  and  a  host  of  others,  say, "  Oh,  it  doesn't  matter  " 
But  the  arrow  hits  a  mark  we  did  not  expect. 

A  brother  and  sister  were  strolling  through  a  field 
and  came  upon  a  nest  of  rabbits.  The  sister  was 
delighted  with  the  pretty  little  things,  but  the  brother 
laughed  at  her,  seized  the  rabbits,  tormented  them, 
and  then  threw  them  up  in  the  air,  letting  them  fall 
and  kill  themselves.  He  enjoyed  this  cruel  pastime, 
though  his  sister  besought  him  with  many  tears  not 
to  do  it.  Ten  years  afterwards  he  was  hung  for  shoot- 
ing a  farmer,  while  poaching.  He  said  to  his  sister, 
almost  heartbroken,  "Do  you  remember  the  nest  of 
rabbits  ten  years  ago,  how  you  begged  and  prayed, 
and  I  ridiculed  ?  I  verily  believe  that  from  that  day 
God  forsook  me,  and  left  me  to  follow  my  own  inclina- 
tions. If  I  had  yielded  to  your  tears  then,  you  and  I 
would  not  be  weeping  these  bitter  tears  now." 

What  did  a  rabbit  matter?  But  the  cruel  deed 
mattered  everything. 

2.  We  are  often  like  this  soldier  in  tlu  words  we 
speak. 

We  say  perhaps  a  wrong  word  without  thinking 
about  it,  and  our  younger  brother  hears  and  never 
forgets  it. 

The  unkind  word  escapes  our  lips  without  any 
purpose  in  our  heart  to  really  hurt  anybody,  but  it 
goes  like  a  poisoned  arrow  into  another  heart. 

It  is  just  as  true  of  the  good  words  of  our  life. 

The  minister  prepares  carefully  what  he  wants  to 


A  CHANCE  ARROW  53 

speak  to  the  people,  but  it  is  sometimes  the  unprepared 
word  that  does  the  good.  One  who  had  very  joyously 
found  Christ  said  to  her  minister  afterwards,  in  explain- 
ing it  to  him,  "  It  was  that  word  '  trust '  that  did  it." 
He  would  not  have  thought  of  that  chance  word  being 
the  helping  one. 

Shoot  all  the  chance  arrows  of  kind,  helping  words 
you  can,  for  you  never  know  what  tliey  may  do. 

A  lady  bought  a  paper  of  a  ragged,  dirty  newsboy, 
and  with  a  smile  dropped  a  few  extra  pennies  into  his 
sooty  hand,  saying,  "  Buy  you  a  pair  of  mittens  ;  aren't 
you  cold  ? "     He  rephed,  "  Not  since  you  smiled." 

So  even  a  smile  may  be  like  a  chance  arrow,  carrying 
not  death,  but  joy  and  cheer. 

Let  us  learn,  boys  and  girls,  from  our  Syrian  soldier, 
that  there  are  really  no  unimportant  deeds  or  words. 

A  deed  is  great  not  always  in  itself,  but  in  what  it 
accomplishes.  And  those  we  think  the  least  of  are 
sometimes  the  most  serious.  Therefore,  be  careful 
about  the  chance  words  and  deeds. 


Xtttle  b^  Xlttle 

'*  He  that  is  faithful  in  a  very  little  is  faithful  also  in  much." 

LuKExvi.  10  (R.V.). 

If  we  mind  the  greater  things  of  life,  avoiding  the  evil 
and  doing  the  good,  we  think  that  the  smaller  things 
will  take  care  of  themselves,  and  we  shall  be  good. 
But  it  is  not  so.  If  you  saw  a  man  putting  his  cart 
before  the  horse,  and  yet  expecting  to  go  the  way  he 
wished,  you  would  say,  "  What  a  foolish  man  ! "  But 
that  is  what  we  do  when  we  think  that  big  things  are 
important,  and  little  ones  don't  matter.  Christ  says  if 
we  are  faithful  in  very  little  things,  we  shall  be  faithful 
in  great  ones. 

How  do  we  come  to  write  well  ?  We  don't  begin  by 
making  sentences,  or  words,  or  even  letters.  Our  first 
work  is  in  straight  lines  (which  are  often  anything  but 
straight)  and  "  pothooks,"  then  letters,  then  words,  and 
then  sentences.  And  after  all  this,  many  people 
manage  to  write  what  very  few  can  read,  because  they 
are  not  faithful  in  the  little  things  of  writing. 

And  so  it  is  in  duty  and  character.  We  learn  to  do 
well,  and  we  become  good  by  fidelity  in  the  very  little 


things. 


54 


LITTLE  B  V  LITTLE  55 

We  look  forward  to  the  time  when  we  shall  be  men 
and  women,  with  our  own  purse  and  watch,  and  when, 
as  we  think,  w^e  shall  be  our  own  master.  But  these 
are  not  the  most  important  and  enjoyable  things.  The 
greatest  thing  is,  that  we  are  honourable  men  and 
women,  for  without  honour  all  else  will  be  vain. 
Christ's  saying  is  to  teach  us  how  to  become  honourable. 

Now^  let  us  think  about  this. 

1.  In  those  qualities  which  make  character,  w^e 
must  be  faithful  in  very  little. 

No  one  has  good  character  who  is  not  truthful 
Liars  are  made  by  carelessness  in  very  little  things. 
They  begin  by  telling  half  truths,  or  by  keeping  silent 
when  they  ought  to  speak,  or  by  acting  little  lies,  as 
when  a  boy  puts  his  hymn-book  before  his  face,  his 
lips  moving  as  if  he  were  singing,  while  yet  he  is 
talking  to  his  neighbour.  A  schoolboy  once  said  to 
his  master,  "  I  never  didn't  do  it."  He  knew  that  two 
negatives  make  an  affirmative,  and  thought  the  master 
wouldn't  detect  his  deception.  Of  course  he  did,  and 
gave  him  double  strokes  for  the  two  negatives. 

Truth  is  built  up  by  care  in  the  smallest  things. 

Two  boys  stood  side  by  side  in  the  market,  one 
selling  melons  and  fruit,  the  other  selling  oysters  and 
fish.  Boy  A  had  sold  out  all  but  one  large  melon, 
when  a  customer  came  admiring  it  and  asking  the 
price. 

"The  melon  is  the  last  I  have,  sir,  and  though  it 
looks  very  fair,  there  is  an  unsound  spot  on  tlie  other 


56  LITTLE  BY  LITTLE 

side."  The  gentleman  declined  the  melon,  and,  turning 
to  boy  B,  said,  "  Are  those  oysters  fresh  ? " 

"  Yes,  sir,  fresh  this  morning," — meaning  that  they 
were  put  on  his  stall  that  morning.  A  purchase  was 
made.     Then,  turning  to  his  friend,  he  said — 

"  What  a  fool  you  were  to  show  the  gentleman  that 
spot  in  the  melon !  He  would  never  have  looked  at  it 
until  he  had  gone  away." 

"  I  would  not,"  said  the  other,  "  tell  a  lie,  or  act  one 
either,  for  twice  what  I  have  earned  this  morning. 
Besides,  I  shall  be  better  off  in  the  end,  for  I  have 
gained  a  customer  and  you  have  lost  one." 

The  gentleman  never  went  to  the  fish-stall  again, 
but  was  a  regular  customer  of  the  fruit-boy's. 

All  true  men  honour  truth,  and  we  shall  become 
truthful  men  and  women  by  being  "  faithful  in  very 
little." 

This  is  the  way  also  concerning  honesty.  Thieves 
are  not  made  all  at  once,  they  begin  in  littles.  If  you 
knew  the  history  of  many  dishonest  men,  who  lose 
their  positions  in  later  life,  you  would  find  that  as 
children  they  had  not  been  faithful  in  little  things. 

He  would  steal  first  from  his  mother's  cupboard, 
saying,  "  It's  only  a  biscuit,  and  it's  mother's  " ;  then  he 
would  purloin  marbles  from  his  schoolfellows;  then, 
when  change  was  given  in  excess,  he  kept  it  instead  of 
taking  it  back ;  then,  when  out  in  the  world,  he  took 
greater  things,  and — you  know  the  rest. 

2.  There  are  two  respects  in  which  Christ's  saying 


LITTLE  B  Y  LITTLE  57 

should  be  remembered  by  us,  so  far  as  duty  is  con- 
cerned. 

We  must  obey  God,  but  unless  we  have  learned  to 
obey  one  another  and  our  parents,  we  are  not  very 
likely  to  obey  God.  You  may  be  sure  that  he  who 
breaks  his  mother's  law  will  break  God's  too. 

We  hope  to  get  to  heaven,  to  enjoy  its  pleasures  and 
know  its  friends.  But  unless  we  are  faithful  in  the 
things  of  earth,  our  chance  of  heaven  is  very  small. 
Do  you  think  God  will  give  us  the  things  of  the  Better 
Life,  if  we  have  spoiled  the  things  of  this  ?  There  are 
many  passages  which  teach  us  that  the  award  of 
heaven  will  be  given  according  to  our  use  of  earth. 

I  have  known  people  very  fond  of  attending 
religious  meetings  and  singing  hymns,  who  were  very 
unkind  and  unjust  to  their  friends. 

They  forgot  that  he  who  is  "  faithful  in  very  little,  is 
faithful  also  in  much." 

So,  boys  and  girls,  if  we  are  wise,  we  shall  work  from 
the  httle  things  to  the  greater  ones,  knowing  that  if 
we  take  care  of  the  pence,  the  pounds  will  take  care  of 
themselves. 

A  friend  once  saw  IVIichael  Angelo  at  work  on  one 
of  his  statues.  Some  time  afterwards  he  saw  him 
again,  and  said,  seeing  so  little  done,  "  Have  you  been 
idle  since  I  saw  you  last  ? " 

"  By  no  means,"  replied  the  sculptor.  "  I  have  re- 
touched this  part  and  polished  that ;  I  have  softened 
this  feature  and  brought  out  that  muscle ;  I  have  given 


58  LITTLE  BY  LITTLE 

more  expression  to  this  lip,  and  more  energy  to  this 

limb." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  the  friend,  "  all  these  are  trifles." 
"  It  may  be  so,"  replied  Angelo  ;  "  but  recollect  that 

trifles  make  perfection,  and  that  perfection  is  no  trifle." 
If  we  work  thus  in  trying  to  be  good  and  to  do  right, 

we  shall  complete  our  work,  noble  in  God's  sight,  and 

He  will   say,  "  Thou   hast   been  faithful   over   a  few 

things ;  I  will  set  thee  over  many  things ;  enter  thou 

into  the  joy  of  thy  Lord." 


/IIMmlC5 

** Imitate  not  that  which  is  evil,  but  that  which  is  good." 

3  John  11  (E.V.). 

There  is  in  nature  what  is  called  mimicry, — the  copy- 
ing of  something  else.  A  little  fellow  brought  to  me 
a  sprig  of  gooseberry,  and  asked  me  if  I  could  find  a 
caterpillar  on  it.  Expecting  some  very  little  rogue  to 
be  somewhere  on  the  leaves,  I  gave  it  up.  But  there 
it  was,  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  stretched  from  one  twig 
to  another,  just  the  colour  and  size  and  shape  of  the 
gooseberry  stem,  and  quite  as  motionless.  It  was  a 
mimic. 

In  the  Natural  History  Museum,  South  Kensington, 
there  is  a  case  with  many  of  these  mimics  in.  There 
are  stick  insects :  long,  lean  things  with  strange  legs, 
looking  exactly  like  the  twigs  on  which  they  stand; 
butterflies,  with  the  upper  side  of  their  wings  beauti- 
fully coloured,  but  with  the  under  side  (that  which, 
when  they  rest,  is  visible)  almost  exactly  like  the 
leaves  on  which  they  alight,  so  that  their  enemies  shall 
not  see  them ;  moths,  with  their  hind-wings  brilliantly 
coloured,  so  that  they  are  visible  in  flight,  but  with 
their  fore- wings  much  the  colour  of  the  bark  of  the 

69 


6o  MIMICS 

tree  which  they  frequent,  because  they  rest,  not  with 
their  wings  upright  as  the  butterflies  do,  but  folded 
down  Hke  a  roof ;  butterflies  and  moths  of  one  species 
hke  those  of  another  whose  colours  are  a  protection 
for  them  against  their  foes. 

So  animals  will  copy  one  another.  One  going  a 
particular  way,  all  will  follow.  A  flock  of  sheep  were 
going  down  a  street.  One  of  the  foremost  came 
suddenly  upon  a  doorstep  and  jumped  to  get  out  of 
its  way,  and  then  all  the  following  sheep  jumped, 
though  few  of  them  were  anywhere  near  the  step. 

I  said  to  a  child  who  was  laughing,  "  What  are  you 
laughing  at?"  "Nothing,"  was  the  reply.  Why  do 
you  think  she  laughed  ?  Because  others  were  laugh- 
ing, though  she  did  not  understand  why. 

Yes,  there  is  in  all  of  us  a  wonderful  power  of 
mimicry,  of  making  ourselves  like  other  people.  In- 
deed, I  think,  we  are  nearly  all  of  us  just  a  copy  of 
someone  else. 

Now  good,  kind  John  tells  us  what  sort  of  mimics 
we  are  to  be ;  what  we  are  to  imitate. 

1.  Not  that  which  is  evil. 

We  shall  scarcely  ever  know  anyone  in  whose  life 
there  is  not  some  imperfection  or  some  evil.  Never 
copy  it. 

The  funny  thing  is,  that  we  are  all  more  inclined  to 
copy  the  evil  than  the  good.  We  are  more  drawn  to 
imitate  the  scholar  who  comes  late  to  school  than  the 
one  who  is  always  in  time. 


MIMICS  6i 

Slang  words,  bad  words,  idle  words  are  much  ofteuer 
copied  than  good  words. 

To  some  natures  cruelty  is  more  attractive  than 
kindness,  so  that,  for  one  who  will  protest  against 
bullying  the  small  boy  who  can't  knock  his  bully  down, 
there  are  twenty  who  will  approve. 

Perhaps  evil  is  easier  than  good ;  and  if  so,  that  is 
one  reason  why  we  should  not  follow  it. 

It  seems  more  manly  and  courageous  to  imitate  evil. 
Little  boys  think  that  it  looks  quite  big  to  have  a  small 
pipe  in  their  mouth.  But  it  isn't  at  all  big,  it  is  only 
very  foohsh.  I  only  know  one  other  creature  which 
looks  quite  as  foolish,  and  that  is  a  monkey  dressed  up 
in  boy's  clothes,  with  a  man's  pipe  in  its  mouth. 

No,  there  is  nothing  brave  or  wise  or  manly  in 
imitating  that  which  is  evil.  St.  John  says,  Don't  do 
it.  And  we  can  understand  why :  because  we  become 
what  we  copy.  A  boy  copies  the  ways  of  bad  boys, 
and  he  becomes  a  bad  man.  Our  mimicry  becomes  a 
part  of  ourselves ;  so  that  if  people  don't  know  our  copy, 
they  think  that  it  is  our  own  real  self  that  they  see. 

2.  But  tliat  which  is  good. 

There  is  much  we  may  and  should  copy.  We  acquire 
the  best  parts  of  our  character  by  imitating  the  good 
points  of  others.     Find  out  the  good  and  follow  it. 

If  you  see  a  boy  who  will  rather  be  laughed  at  and 
mocked  than  disobey  his  mother,  imitate  him. 

If  you  find  a  girl  who  will  go  with  one  pleasure  less, 
that  someone  else  may  have  one,  copy  her. 


62  MIMICS 

If  you  see  a  boy  who  will  ratlier  lose  his  place  in 
class  than  tell  a  lie,  follow  him.  Or  if  you  know  one 
who,  wiien  he  left  home,  said  his  prayers,  though  all 
in  the  same  room  ridiculed  and  pelted  him  with  slippers 
and  pillows,  imitate  him. 

Wlierever  you  find  gentleness,  truth,  sincerity,  kind- 
ness, goodness,  or  suchlike,  imitate  it. 

We  learn  to  do  our  best  things  by  copying.  Some 
of  you  like  painting.  Now,  how  will  you  become  a 
good  painter  ?  By  carefully  copying  good  things,  either 
from  nature  or  from  other  pictures. 

And  so  very  largely  do  we  become  good  and  noble. 

There  is  a  beautiful  verse  in  St.  Paul  to  help  us  in 
this  copying  work  of  ours.  He  said  once  to  the  Cor- 
inthians, "  Be  ye  imitators  of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of 
Christ"  (1  Cor.  xi.  1). 

We  are  to  imitate  others,  so  far  as  they  are  hke 
Christ.  We  have  noble  lives  about  us:  boys  and 
girls  at  school  who  are  above  mean  and  dirty  things ; 
people  who  love  Christ  tenderly.  Let  us  try  to  be  like 
them.  But,  most  of  all,  Christ  Himself  is  to  be  our 
copy.     Imitate  Him. 

Tradition  says  that  when  King  Wenceslaus  of 
Bohemia  was  going,  one  bitter  winter's  night,  to  the 
church  in  which  he  worshipped,  the  little  page  who 
followed  him  began  to  faint  and  fall.  The  king, 
hearing  his  cry  and  learning  his  difficulty,  called  out 
to  him,  "  Put  thy  feet  into  my  footprints,  and  all  shall 
])e  well."    The  boy  did  so,  and  all  was  well. 


MIMICS  63 

Put  thy  feet  into  Christ's  footprints,  and  all  will 
indeed  be  well. 

"Be  ye  imitators  of  God,  as  beloved  children." 
Avoid  bad  company,  wrong  words,  evil  deeds.  Try 
to  copy  that  which  is  good,  especially  those  who  are 
good,  more  especially  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  nothing  in 
Him  not  to  be  copied,  and  who  will  Himself  help  us 
to  copy  all  that  He  was. 


"  Be  ye  imitators  of  me,  even  as  I  also  am  of  Christ." 

1  Cor.  xi.  1  (K.V.). 

In  our  last  sermon  we  were  talking  about  mimicry, 
how  we  all  imitate  others,  and  how  much  our  life  is 
made  by  what  we  thus  imitate. 

But  there  is  another  lesson  for  us  to  learn ;  namely, 
that  while  we  are  all  copying  somebody,  somebody  is 
copying  us.  That  we  are  not  merely  copiers,  but 
copies. 

I  don't  know  how  soon  we  become  such,  but  it  must 
be  very  early.  Perhaps  you  are,  say  three  years  old, 
but  the  baby  of  the  home  will  copy  you — your  voice, 
your  manners,  your  noises.  How  soon  the  little  child 
will  repeat  the  tone  of  the  street  cries,  or  the  shake  of 
your  head,  even  before  she  can  speak  one  word. 

And  so  older  ones  are  always  copies  for  younger 
ones.  The  great  responsibility  of  being  the  older 
sister  or  brother  in  the  home,  the  senior  girl  or  boy  in 
the  school  class,  is  that  the  younger  ones  will  copy 
us. 

But  it  doesn't  always  go  by  age.  Older  ones  often 
copy  younger  ones  ;  and  the  older  people  get,  the  more 

64 


A  GOOD  copy  6s 

inclined  they  are  to  copy  the  good  things  even  in  the 
youngest. 

Strong  ones  are  copies  for  the  weaker.  The  dux  of 
the  class,  the  best  athlete  in  the  school,  the  leader  in 
games,  these  stand  out  prominently  as  copies  for  others. 

So  that  we  all  come  in  and  belong  to  the  class  of 
those  who  are  being  copied. 

The  great  thing  is  to  be  a  good  copy.  We  know  the 
importance  of  this  in  music  and  painting  and  writing. 
No  teacher  would  place  before  us  an  indifferent  writing 
example  to  copy.  It  is  very  important,  if  we  are  to 
have  a  good  "  hand,"  the  style  we  learn  from  should  be 
good. 

So  it  is  in  our  life :  the  important  thing  is  that  our 
influence  should  be  good;  that  when  others  copy  us, 
they  shall  be  the  better  for  it,  and  not  the  worse. 

This  is  what  Paul  speaks  of  in  the  text — "Be  ye 
imitators  of  me,  even  as  I  am  of  Christ."  "  Try  to  be 
like  me :  try  to  do  as  I  do  in  the  world  of  men,  try  to 
mimic  the  example  of  my  life." 

He  felt  that  Christ  was  so  much  to  him,  and  had  so 
influenced  his  character  and  moulded  his  conduct,  that 
so  far  he  was  a  good  copy  for  others.  He  could  read 
the  writing  of  Christ  on  his  heart  and  life.  He  did 
this  in  many  ways,  but  when  he  wrote  these  words,  he 
did  it  in  two  ways.  First,  Christ  had  given  him  a  new 
and  wonderful  consideration  for  others.  "  I  please  all 
men,  not  seeking  my  own  profit,  but  the  profit  of  the 
many,  that  they  may  be  saved." 


66  A  GOOD  COPY 

He  laid  out  his  life  for  other  people,  not  simply  to 
help  their  pleasure  and  happiness,  but  to  further  their 
higher  interests  in  salvation,  that  they  might  escape 
from  their  sins,  and  love  God. 

Christ  saved  him  from  selfishness  and  from  forgetting 
the  hest  interests  of  others. 

And  secondly,  Christ  had  given  him  a  new  zeal  for 
God.    "  Do  all  to  the  glory  of  God." 

He  tried  to  remember  God  in  all  he  did  and  said, 
and  the  honour  or  dishonour  he  might  bring  to  His 
name. 

Thus,  in  love  for  men  and  zeal  for  God,  in  which  he 
was  a  follower  of  Christ,  he  felt  that  he  was  a  good 
copy  for  others. 

This  is  the  way  still  to  make  our  lives  worth 
imitating.  Let  us  copy  Christ,  and  then  we  need  not 
fear  others  copying  us.  Let  us  do  our  level  best  to 
make  ourselves  as  beautiful,  as  helpful,  and  as  cheering 
as  we  can  to  others. 

I  will  mention  only  one  consideration  which  should 
urge  up  to  this. 

Think  how  much  good  we  may  do  if  we  are  good 
copies. 

By  a  word  or  a  deed  we  may  injure  a  boy's  or  a  girl's 
whole  life,  or  (and  this  is  the  bright  side)  we  may  be 
of  lifelong  worth  to  it. 

"  This,"  says  the  headmaster  of  Harrow  School,  "  is 
the  service  which  every  true  boy  renders  to  his  school 
Not  that  he  does  something  or  says  something,  but  that 


A  GOOD  COPY  67 

he  is  something  which   all  other  boys  may  wish  to 
be. 

*The  greatest  gift  the  hero  leaves  his  race 
Is  to  have  been  a  hero.'" 

That  is  his  one  imperishable  benefaction,  and  there  is 
none  that  can  ever  divest  him  of  it.  The  whole  spirit 
and  tone  of  a  cricket  eleven  may  be  changed  and  made 
splendid  by  one  good  fellow  in  it. 

Many  a  brother  has  been  kept  from  evil  by  the 
remembrance  of  his  sister. 

Many  a  little  fellow  down  at  heart  has  been  cheered 
into  new  deed  by  the  example  of  his  schooKellow. 

Dr.  Kewton  tells  of  two  boys  who  slept  together. 
One  of  them  had  been  trained  to  kneel  down  every 
night  before  getting  into  bed,  and  say  his  prayer  in  an 
audible  voice,  and  to  repeat  a  text  of  Scripture  which 
his  mother  taught  him. 

The  first  time  he  slept  with  the  other  boy,  who  never 
said  any  prayers,  he  was  tempted  to  jump  into  bed,  as  his 
companion  did,  without  praying.  But  he  thought  that 
would  be  cowardly  and  mean,  and  said  to  himself,  "  I 
am  not  afraid  to  do  what  my  mother  taught  me ;  I  am 
not  afraid  for  anyone  to  know  that  I  pray  to  God.  I'll 
do  as  I  have  been  taught  to  do."  And  he  did.  When 
both  had  become  old  men,  he  who  as  a  boy  had  not 
prayed,  sent  for  his  old  friend,  as  he  lay  on  his  death- 
bed, to  come  and  see  him.  He  had  for  years  now  been 
serving  God,  and  he  told  his  friend  that  it  was  his 
prayer  and  text  so   faithfully  said  every  night,  when 


68  A  GOOD  COPY 

they  were  boys  together,  which  led  him  to  become  a 
Christian.  He  repeated  the  prayer  and  verse,  word 
for  word,  and  with  his  dying  lips  thanked  him  for  his 
example,  for  that  had  saved  his  soul. 

That  is  being  a  good  copy,  which  others,  following, 
may  find  their  way  to  God,  and  have  life  made  noble 
and  happy. 

Eemember,  boys  and  girls,  that  we  cannot  be  what  we 
are  without  influencing  others  for  good  or  ill.  Let  us 
try  never  to  do  anything  which  would  injure  others, 
if  they  imitated  us.  This  is  the  question  we  may  ask 
ourselves,  "  What  sort  of  a  copy  am  I  ? " 

And  if  only  we  love  Christ  and  seek  to  do  His  will, 
we  need  have  no  fear  in  asking  the  question,  because 
He  will  write  some  of  His  own  letters  on.  our  life. 


Ube  Door 


**  Jesus  said  ...  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep.** 

John  x.  7. 


How  important  the  door  is !  What  would  a 
house  be  without  one  ?  Did  you  ever  know  a 
builder  build  such  a  house  ?  And  how  important 
that  the  door  should  open  when  necessary !  Perhaps 
some  of  us  have  come  home  and  found  the  door 
fast,  while  we  had  no  key  to  open  it:  what  trouble 
then! 

And  equally  important,  too,  that  it  should  be  closed 
when  necessary.  I  heard  one  night  the  house  bell 
ringing,  and  then  the  step  of  a  man  in  the  hall,  and 
then  his  voice  call,  "  Hallo  !  anyone  there  ? "  I  soon  let 
him  know  that  I  was  there,  and  wanted  to  know  who 
he  was  and  why  he  was  there  (though  I  had  a  shrewd 
guess  who  it  was).  "  You  have  left  your  front  door 
unfastened,  sir,"  said  the  constable.  Ah !  that  does 
not  do  in  places  where  thieves  come.  There  are  times 
when  it  is  as  important  for  the  door  to  be  fast  as  that 
at  other  times  it  should  open. 

Now,  Jesus  said,  "  I  am  the  door  of  the  sheep."  Not, 
you  see,  a  house  door,  but  the  fold  door  for  the  sheep. 


70  THE  DOOR 

The  Eastern  sheepfold  is  walled  round  with  a  high 
wall,  hence  the  necessity  for  a  door. 

There  are  two  things  about  this  door  we  should 
consider. 

First y  the  use  of  the  door. 

"  Bj  Me,"  said  Christ,  "  if  any  man  enter  in  he  shall 
be  saved,  and  shall  go  in  and  out,  and  shall  find 
pasture." 

{a)  The  door  is  the  way  in. 

After  the  day's  feeding,  the  shepherd  brings  home 
his  sheep,  so  that  for  the  night  they  may  rest  safely  in 
the  fold.  He  could  not  leave  them  in  the  wilderness 
(the  pasture  ground)  or  on  the  hillside  because  of  wild 
beasts,  such  as  wolves  and  lions,  that  prowl  about,  and 
robbers  that  steal.  Hence  the  Eastern  shepherd  carried 
a  staff  or  crook,  with  which  he  guided  and  encouraged 
his  sheep,  and  also  a  club  (called  "rod"  in  the 
shepherds'  Psalm,  the  23rd)  with  a  spiked  head,  by 
means  of  which  he  drove  off  wolves  and  robbers. 

And  hence  the  need  of  the  walled  fold,  that  the 
sheep  in  peril  from  many  foes  may  be  safe  and  enjoy 
their  rest. 

We  are  like  sheep  with  many  enemies,  and  Jesus  is 
our  door  into  safety.  Sin  is  like  a  hungry  wolf — Satan 
is  like  a  robber. 

A  small  boy  came  one  day  very  earnestly  to  his 
father  with  this  queer  question :  "  Father,  is  Satan 
bigger  than  I  am  ? "     "  Yes,  my  boy,"  said  the  father. 

"  Is  he  bigger  than  you,  father  ? " 


THE  DOOR  71 

"  Yes,  my  boy,  he  is  bigger  than  your  father." 

The  laddie  looked  much  surprised  and  very  thought- 
ful, and  then  asked — 

"  Is  he  bigger  than  Jesus  ? " 

"No,  Jesus  is  bigger  than  he  is,"  answered  the 
father. 

"  Then,"  said  the  little  fellow,  with  a  smile,  "  I  am 
not  afraid  of  him." 

We  need  not  be  afraid  of  any,  because  we  have 
perfect  safety  through  Jesus  the  door. 

(&)  The  door  is  also  the  icay  out. 

In  the  morning  the  shepherds  call  their  sheep  and 
lead  them  out  to  pasture — beside  the  "  waters  of  rest 
and  the  pastures  of  grass." 

So  Christ  says,  "  By  Me  they  shall  go  out  and  find 
pasture." 

Mr.  Wells  says :  "  A  sultan  once  promised  to  spare 
the  life  of  his  enemy  if  he  gave  up  his  sword.  When 
the  disarmed  warrior  asked  for  food,  the  sultan  replied, 
'  I  promised  to  save  your  life,  but  not  to  feed  you,'  and 
left  his  prisoner  to  die  of  starvation." 

Unspeakably  mean,  was  it  not  ?  Christ  does  not 
simply  protect  us  from  our  enemies — He  feeds  us  also. 
He  is  the  door  to  safety,  to  abundance,  and  to  rich 
pasturage.  All  our  souls  need,  Christ  gives.  So  that 
our  life  is  satisfied.  Do  we  need  help  for  duty  ?  He 
gives  it.  Joy  to  make  us  glad  ?  He  gives  it.  Pleasure 
to  brighten  life  ?     He  gives  it. 

He  satisfies  all  our  desires.     Boys  and  girls  must 


72  THE  DOOR 

not  think  that  Christ's  service  is  all  giving  up  things 
we  like :  it  is  receiving  all  that  makes  life  good  and 
glad. 

Think  of  a  sheep  v^ithout  any  food  or  any  drink! 
That  is  v^^hat  life  is  like  witliout  Christ. 

Christ  is  not  the  door  to  sadness  and  misery  and 
tears,  but  to  everything  that  is  rich  and  good  in  life. 
When  we  speak  of  anyone  "going  in  and  out"  of  a 
place,  we  mean  that  they  have  the  free  use  of  it.  If 
they  want  to  go  in,  they  can,  or  if  they  wish  to  go  out, 
they  can. 

So  Christ  is  the  way  "  in  and  out "  to  safety  and 
abundance.  Whenever  we  are  in  fear,  we  can  find 
safety  in  Him ;  or  hungry,  we  can  find  satisfaction 
without  any  hindrance.  We  may  be  at  home  with 
Christ,  so  as  to  go  in  and  out  at  pleasure. 

Secondly.     Now  one  word  about  our  using  the,  door. 

Who  may  use  the  door  ?  A  door  is  not  made  for 
just  anyone.  It  is  made  to  let  in  and  out  all  who 
ought  to  use  it,  and  keep  out  all  the  rest — "  the  door  of 
the  sheep.''  If  Mr.  Wolf  comes,  even  with  a  sheep's  skin 
on  his  back,  he  won't  get  through.  The  door  is  closed 
fast  to  the  wolf. 

If  we  are  wicked  and  don't  care  about  Christ,  the 
door  won't  be  open  for  us.  But  if  we  wish  to  be  good, 
to  give  up  our  sins  ;  and  if  we  trust  in  Christ  to  save 
us  from  our  sins  and  to  feed  us,  then  the  door  opens 
wide. 

To  everyone,  to  anyone  who  comes  tired,  sorrowful, 


THE  DOOR  73 

and  needy  to  Christ,  the  door  to  salvation  will 
immediately  open. 

What  key  opens  it  ? 

The  golden  key  is  trust.  Trust  Christ  to  be  what 
He  says  He  is,  and  He  will  be. 

We  use  this  key  in  prayer. 

When  you  have  done  wrong,  pray  to  be  forgiven,  and 
trust  in  Christ,  and  you  will  find  that  He  delights  in 
mercy.  When  you  need  help  against  temptation  or  in 
duty,  ask  and  trust,  and  the  help  will  be  given. 

There  are  some  doors  we  could  never  open.  Have 
you  not  seen  large  heavy  doors  that  no  child  like  you 
could  move  ?  Doors  of  learning,  of  wealth,  of  influence 
we  may  never  go  through,  but  the  Door  of  Grace  into 
Salvation  opens  to  everyone  who  will  trust. 

"  0  Jesus,  I  will  trust  Thee." 


"The  Lord  is  on  my  side  ;  I  will  not  fear." 

Ps.  cxviii.  6. 

We  all  know  what  sides  are.  In  many  of  our  games 
the  first  thing  is  to  get  sides.  And  success  depends 
very  largely  on  who  is  on  our  side.  If  we  can  get  the 
best  bowler  or  the  best  bat  in  the  cricket  match,  we 
think  we  shall  win.  I  can  well  remember,  as  a  school- 
boy, how  anxious  we  were  to  have  the  first  choice  when 
making  a  side. 

This  is  true  all  through  our  life.  The  joy  and  worth 
of  home  are  made  by  those  who  are  on  our  side.  To 
have  everyone  in  the  home  against  us  would  be  sad 
indeed.  When  we  are  wanting  anything  very  much, 
and  can  say,  "Mother  approves,"  we  are  a  long  way 
towards  getting  w^hat  we  want,  and  we  know  it.  I 
know  some  little  girls  who  always  try  to  keep  father 
on  their  side. 

What  a  difference  it  makes  at  school  whether  we  feel 
that  our  teacher  is  for  or  against  us.  If  we  have  been 
diligent  and  obedient,  so  that  we  are  sure  of  her  favour, 
we  can  do  some  very  hard  work  without  fear. 

So  there  are  sides  in  religion,  in  character-winning. 

74 


SIDES  75 

What  we  can  become  in  goodness  depends  on  who  is 
on  our  side.  In  our  contest  against  sin  and  trouble, 
the  side  on  which  God  is  conquers. 

If  we  can  say,  when  we  are  trying  to  be  good  and  to 
do  good,  "  the  Lord  is  on  my  side,"  then  we  know  that 
we  shall  succeed,  and  we  may  also  say, "  I  will  not  fear." 

Then  wliose  side  is  God  on  ?  He  is  not  on  everybody's 
side  in  the  name  sense.  There  is  a  verse  that  says, "  The 
face  of  the  Lord  is  against  them  that  do  evil"  (Ps. 
xxxiv.  16). 

He  is  merciful  to  all,  and  will  forgive  whenever  we 
turn  to  Him.  But  wicked  people  cannot  say,  "  The 
Lord  is  on  my  side." 

Who  can  say  so  ? 

1.  All  little  children.  We  remember  Christ's  dear 
word,  "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  Me,  for 
of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  When  we  have 
not  learned  to  sin  and  to  choose  evil  ways,  we  may  be 
quite  sure  the  Lord  is  on  our  side. 

2.  God  is  on  the  side  of  all  who  seek  Him.  We 
soon  become  conscious  of  sin  in  our  hearts,  but- when 
we  turn  to  God  in  confession  and  prayer  and  trust,  we 
need  not  fear.  A  verse  in  one  of  the  best  known 
psalms  says :  "  The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a  broken 
spirit:  a  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  0  God,  Thou 
wilt  not  despise  "  (li.  17). 

This  beautiful  allegory  was  told  by  a  dervish  to  a 
traveller  in  the  East.  "  Every  man  has  two  angels — 
one  on   his   right   shoulder  and  another  on  his  left. 


76  SIDES 

When  he  does  anything  good,  the  angel  on  his  right 
shoulder  writes  it  down  in  his  book  and  seals  it,  because 
good  done  is  done  for  ever.  When  he  has  done  evil, 
the  angel  on  his  left  shoulder  writes  it  down :  he  waits 
till  midnight ;  if  before  that  time  the  man  bows  down 
his  head  and  exclaims, '  Gracious  Allah,  I  have  sinned  ; 
forgive  me ! '  the  angel  rubs  it  out  with  a  sponge ;  if 
not,  at  midnight  he  seals  it,  and  the  angel  on  the  man's 
right  shoulder  weeps." 

We  shall  never  come  to  God  through  Christ,  saying, 
"  Gracious  Father,  I  have  sinned,  forgive  me  for  Christ's 
sake  "  but  God  will  be  on  our  side  to  pardon. 

3.  God  is  on  the  side  of  all  who  try  to  do  right. 

Whenever  we  are  doing  the  best  we  can  to  be  to 
others  what  we  ought  to  be — for  instance,  a  good  sister 
in  the  home — to  do  to  others  what  we  should  like  them 
to  do  to  us ; 

Whenever  we  are  trying  to  conquer  our  evil  tempers, 
— to  be  kind  and  gentle  instead  of  rough  and  angry ; 

Whenever  we  are  in  a  position  that  to  tell  the  truth 
will  cost  us  much,  and  we  are  therefore  tempted  to  lie, 
but  we  are  still  resolute  for  the  truth  ; 

Whenever  duty  of  any  kind  is  difficult,  but  we  try 
our  best  to  do  it ; — 

Then,  in  all  these  things  and  others  like  them,  God  is 
on  our  side  to  help  and  give  us  the  victory. 

When  David  was  watching  his  flock,  and  a  lion  or 
bear  came  and  carried  off  a  lamb,  he  went  after  him, 
caught  him  by  the  beard,  smote  him  and  slew  him,  and 


SIDES  77 

delivered  the  lamb.  We  do  not  know  how  many  lions 
and  bears  he  thus  slew,  but  it  was  not  an  uncommon 
experience  for  the  shepherd  youth.  He  never  failed 
because  God  was  on  his  side,  and  he  knew  it.  Then 
when  he  came  to  the  greater  task  of  mc  eting  Goliath, 
the  mighty  man  of  war,  he  did  not  fear  at  all,  but  said, 
"  The  Lord  that  delivered  me  out  of  the  paw  of  the  hon 
and  out  of  the  paw  of  the  bear,  He  will  deliver  me 
out  of  the  hand  of  this  Philistine." 

What  is  the  advantage  of  having  God  on  our  side  ? 
"  I  will  not  fear." 

It  makes  us  bold  and  glad.  I  have  heard  boys  say 
before  a  game,  "We  shall  win.  So-and-so  is  playing 
to-day." 

God's  is  always  the  winning  side,  and  if  He  is  with 
us,  we  need  fear  no  failure  or  foe. 

The  little  blind  girl  holding  her  father's  hand  goes 
along  through  the  crowded  city  street  with  its  hundred 
perils,  in  perfect  confidence.  Why  ?  Because  of  the 
one  who  is  with  her. 

A  tiny  boy  was  sent  upstairs  to  fetch  something  for 
his  mother.  He  went  out  of  the  lighted  room  into  the 
dark  hall.  The  gas  was  not  lighted  either  in  the  lower 
or  upper  hall.  He  felt  a  bit  frightened  at  first,  then 
up  the  stairs  he  climbed,  saying  to  himself  all  the  way, 
"  Mamma  loves  me — she  do  !  "  He  got  back  safely  to 
his  mother,  and  she  asked  him  why  he  said  those  words 
over  and  over  to  himself  as  he  went  upstairs.  "  'Cause 
it  helped  me  to   get   through  the  dark — that's  why." 


78  SIDES 

While  his  mother  was  there,  and  he  was  sure  of  her 
love,  he  did  not  mind  so  much. 

So,  God's  love  and  presence  being  sure,  we  need  not 
fear. 

Let  us  all  get  on  God's  side,  that  we  may  all  have 
II  im  on  ours. 


Secrets 

"  The  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him.* 

Ps.  XXV.  14. 

We  all  know  something  about  secrets,  for  wlio  hasn't 
some  to  tell  and  some  to  keep  ?  If  you  see  two  little 
heads  close  together,  one  pair  of  lips  moving  earnestly, 
and  one  pair  of  eyes  looking  very  much  interested,  and 
helping  the  owner  to  listen  attentively,  and  then  you 
hear  the  speaker  say,  "You  won't  tell  anybody,  will 
you  ? "  you  know  that  a  secret  has  passed  between 
the  two  little  heads. 

Now  our  text  speaks  of  God's  secret,  and  those  to 
whom  He  tells  it. 

1.  What  God's  secret  is. 

God  has  a  great  many  secrets  which  He  keeps  to 
Himself, — "  It  is  not  for  you  to  know,"  He  says, — but 
others  which  He  tells. 

The  first  is  that  of  His  love.  The  words  in  the 
verse  really  mean  the  love,  tlie  friendship  of  the  Lord. 

Love  is  always  a  secret.  People  whisper  when  they 
say  anything  about  it.  If  you  want  to  tell  your 
mother  that  you  love  her,  you  don't  sliout  it  across  the 
room,  but  you  go  close  to  her  ear  and  say,  "  Mother,  I 


8o  SECRETS 

want  to  tell  you  a  secret."  Then  she  listens,  and  you 
just  say,  "  I  love  you,"  and  she  looks  as  pleased  as  if 
you  had  brought  her  ever  so  costly  a  present. 

So  in  Jesus  God  is  whispering  to  us,  I — love — you, 
though  a  great  many  never  hear  this  secret. 

God  tells  us,  by  His  Spirit  in  our  hearts,  the  great 
secret  of  His  love. 

T  daresay  there  are  many  secrets  you  would  much 
like  to  know ;  but  the  best  in  all  the  world  is  this  of 
God's  love. 

God  has  also  secrets  of  grace  to  tell  us. 

He  said  to  His  people  of  old  time,  "  I  am  thy  God, 
I  will  strengthen  thee :  yea,  I  will  help  thee."  We 
shall  find  this,  too,  wlien  we  need  forgiveness  because  of 
sin.  He  will  pardon.  When  we  need  help  for  our 
school  work,  or  our  playtime,  in  our  sorrow  or  trouble, 
God  will  give  it. 

A  poor  little  humpbacked  boy  was  walking  his 
weary  way,  his  hands  on  his  knees  to  help  keep  up  his 
bent,  burdened  body.  He  passed  by  some  boys  playing 
marbles, — strong,  straight,  and  gay  they  were.  "  Hey  ! 
I  say,  tell  us  who  put  the  pack  on  your  back  ?  Here, 
let's  carry  it  for  you,"  said  these  cruel  boys,  while  they 
caught  hold  of  the  cripple  with  the  intention  of  carry- 
ing him,  and  having  some  fun.  Could  you  think  of 
anything  more  mean  and  cowardly  ?  Boys  and  girls, 
never  increase  by  taunt  or  deed  the  sorrow  of  those 
already  sad  enough  by  physical  imperfection.  The 
poor  laddie  twisted  himself  free  from  their  cruel  grasp, 


SECRETS  8 1 

and  turning  his  pale  face  on  them  with  a  look  of  dumb 
patience  in  his  large,  wistful  eyes,  he  answered  their 
taunting  question  and  said,  "  God  put  it  there,  and  He 
helps  me  to  carry  it  every  day" 

The  boys  slunk  back  to  their  marbles,  and  let  him 
go  on  his  way,  to  live  out  as  best  he  could  his  crippled 
life,  with  this  daily  help  of  God.  He  had  learned  God's 
secret  of  help,  which  the  boys  at  marbles  knew 
nothing  of. 

God  has  secrets  of  happiness  to  whisper  to  us  if  we 
will  listen. 

We  all  like  to  be  happy.  I  never  knew  anyone  who 
did  not  try  in  some  way  to  be  happy.  But  sometimes 
those  who  try  most  are  the  saddest,  because  they 
go  the  wrong  way  to  work.  This  boy  thinks  if  he  has 
plenty  of  cricket,  and  all  else  that  he  wants,  he  will  be 
happy.  This  girl  thinks  if  she  has  all  the  nice  dress 
she  desires,  plenty  of  friends,  and  lots  of  parties,  then 
how  happy  she  will  be ! 

But  it  does  not  follow.  We  may  have  all  these,  and 
not  be  happy.  God  teaches  us  the  real  secret  of  happi- 
ness. "  Happy,"  said  Christ,  "  are  the  pure  in  heart." 
Goodness  is  the  truest  and  most  lasting  joy.  Unless 
we  are  good,  happiness  won't  be  much  for  us. 

Then,  after  this,  our  greatest  joys  may  be  found  in 
helping  others.  The  old  legend  says  that  a  king  who 
loved  his  boy  very  much,  gave  him  everything  he 
could  to  make  him  happy  —  pictures,  toys,  books;  a 
lovely   pony  to   ride,  and    a   row-boat   for  the  lake; 

6 


82  SECRETS 

servants  and  teachers.  Yet  he  was  not  happy.  A 
magician  came  to  the  court  one  day,  and  promised  for 
a  large  sum  to  make  the  prince  happy.  The  price  was 
agreed  upon  and  paid.  The  magician  took  the  boy  into 
a  private  room,  wrote  something  with  a  white  substance 
on  white  paper.  Then  he  gave  the  boy  a  candle, 
telling  him  to  light  it  and  hold  it  under  the  paper,  and 
see  what  he  could  read. 

He  did  so,  and  the  white  letters  turned  into  blue 
ones,  and  he  read — 

"  Do  a  kindness  to  someone  every  day" 

The  prince  tried  the  secret,  and  became  the  happiest 
boy  in  the  realm. 

Yes,  for  young  and  old,  be  good,  do  good,  is  the 
double  secret  of  happiness. 

2.  To  whom  does  God  tell  His  secrets  ? 

We  don't  tell  ours  to  any  or  everybody,  do  we  ? 
Some,  who  can't  keep  a  secret,  tell  theirs  to  a  great 
many.  We  think  we  know  what  no  one  else  does,  and 
twenty  other  people  are  thinking  the  same.  That  isn't 
like  secret- telling,  is  it  ?  It  is  to  one  true  friend  we 
tell  our  secret.  God  does  not  tell  His  to  just  anyone 
— "the  secret  of  the  Lord  is  with  them  that  fear  Him" 
To  fear  God  does  not  mean  to  be  frightened  for  Him, 
but  to  oley  Him,  to  do  what  we  know  God  wants  us  to 
do,  and  not  to  do  what  God  disapproves. 

To  those  who  obey  Him  God  tells  His  secret. 

Thereisone  thing  in  which  God's  secrets  are  unlil^e  ours 
— we  may  tell  them  ;  He  never  says  to  us,  "  Dont  tell," 


SECRETS  83 

When  Christ  cured  the  two  blind  men  and  sent 
them  away  seeing,  He  told  them  that  no  one  was  to 
know  it.  But  when  they  had  got  away,  they  could  not 
keep  the  glorious  secret,  but  spread  abroad  His  fame  in 
all  the  country.  How  difficult  for  them  not  to  tell ! 
Christ  had  special  reasons  for  wishing  to  be  quiet,  but 
those  reasons  are  past,  and  He  lays  no  such  secrecy  on 
us.  He  says  rather,  "  Go  home  to  thy  friends,  and  tell 
them  how  great  things  the  Lord  hath  done  for  thee." 


IKlot  /OMne-mboee? 

"Ye  are  not  your  own  ;  for  ye  were  bought  with  a  price." 

1  Cor  vi.  19,  20. 

Mine  and  yours  are  two  of  the  first  words  we  come 
to  understand.  Having  something  of  my  own  is  one 
of  life's  first  pleasures.  At  home  we  very  soon  come 
to  have  our  own  things  ;  my  toys,  my  books.  Can  any 
of  you  tell  how  soon  you  said  with  pleasure,  "  That  is 
mine  ? "  or  how  proud  you  felt  when  you  could  say,  "  I 
have  a  book  of  my  very  own  ? "  I  think  one  of  the 
first  hard  lessons  of  baby  life  is  to  learn  what  is  not 
theirs.  Babies  wish  to  have  everything  that  they  like, 
and  don't  know  how  much  about  "  yours,"  if  they  do 
about "  mine." 

Then  in  our  bigger  life  we  have  more  and  more  to 
remember  what  is  not  ours. 

And  that  is  what  our  short  text  speaks  about.  First, 
what  is  not  ours,  and,  secondly,  why  it  isn't  ours. 

1.  Not  mine. 

"  Ye  are  not  your  own." 

Just  as  everything  belongs  to  someone,  so  does 
everybody. 

The  policeman,  seeing  a  lost  child  crying  in  the  street, 

84 


NO  T  MINE  -  WHOSE  ?  85 

asks  her,  "  What  is  your  name  ?  whom  do  you  belong 
to  ? "  Through  many  tears  the  httle  one  replies,  "  My 
name  is  Dot,  and  I  belong  to  mother."  Quite  right, 
though  the  answer  doesn't  help  the  policeman  much. 
The  wee  child  is  only  five  years  old,  but  she  will  belong 
to  her  mother  just  as  truly  when  she  is  fifty  In  a 
very  happy  sense  we  belong  to  one  another,  and  so  are 
not  our  ov/n.  But  that  is  not  what  the  text  means. 
Not  my  own  ?  Then  whose  am  I  ?  Paul  says  we 
belong  to  God. 

Not  mine,  but  God's. 

People  sometimes  think  that  whatever  else  they  have 
not,  they  have  themselves,  and  they  can  do  as  they  like 
with  that. 

"Eyes  and  ears,  hands  and  feet,  these  anyhow  are 
mine — can't  I  do  what  I  like  with  them  ? "  No,  because 
we  are  not  our  own,  but  God's. 

What  a  difference  it  makes  whom  we  belono;  to ! 

Two  boys  were  walking  in  the  street  together, 
engaged  in  very  earnest  talk,  one  doing  nearly  all  the 
listening.  The  talker  was  telling  his  friend  about  his 
father — how  kind  he  was,  what  long  walks  he  took 
him,  and  what  lovely  things  he  bought  him,  and  how 
many  pennies  he  gave  him.  Presently  the  listener,  quite 
overcome  with  this  wonderful  story,  said,  with  a  saddish 
tone  in  his  voice,  "  I  wish  your  father  was  my  father." 

Yes,  it  makes  such  a  difference  who  our  father  is. 
It  is  good  to  belong  to  a  good  father,  but  it  is  better 
still  to  belong  to  God,  and  we  all  are  His. 


86  NOT  MINE-^  WHOSE  f 

2.  Why  not  mine  ? 

We  possess  things  in  many  ways.  Sometimes  they 
are  given  to  us.  "  That  is  mine,  it  was  given  to  me," 
we  say. 

Or  we  make  a  thing,  and  thus  it  becomes  ours,  "  that 
is  my  boat,  I  made  it  myself."  But  we  hear  people 
say  also,  "  That  is  mine,  /  hought  it  and  'paid  for  it." 
Thus  the  thing  is  ours  by  purchase.  So  we  are  God's, 
"  Ye  were  bought  with  a  price." 

What  was  the  price  ?  "  Not  with  corruptible  things, 
with  silver  or  gold,  but  with  precious  blood  .  .  .  even 
the  blood  of  Christ "  (1  Pet.  i.  18).  Christ's  life  was 
the  price  paid. 

By  sin  we  have  become  slaves  of  sin,  enemies  of  God, 
liable  to  pimishment  by  the  law  of  God.  Christ  gave 
Himself  to  God  (especially  on  the  cross),  so  that  we 
might  be  again  God's  children.  "  Ye  are  not  your  own, 
for  ye  were  bought  with  a  price." 

Christ  paid  the  price  for  us.  How  good  of  Him! 
What  do  you  boys  and  girls  think  of  it  ?  If  a  friend 
buys  you  something,  you  say,  **  How  kind  of  her !  I  do 
love  her."  But  she  has  only  given  money — Christ  gave 
life  and  all. 

On  the  12th  August  1893  there  was  a  railway 
accident  near  Pontypridd  in  South  Wales.  Some  were 
killed  and  many  injured.  Under  the  wreckage,  in  great 
danger  of  being  crushed  to  death,  was  a  boy  who  was 
rescued.  When  he  was  fairly  out,  and  began  to  realise 
that  he  was  saved,  he  looked  gratefully  at  his  rescuer, 


NO  T  MINE—  WHOSE  f  87 

put  his  hand  in  his  pocket  and  drew  out  a  halfpenny 
and  offered  it  to  him,  saying,  "Please  take  this  halfpenny, 
it's  all  I've  got,  and  you  do  deserve  it  too." 

The  halfpenny  was  taken  in  remembrance  of  the 
gratitude  of  the  lad,  who  received  twopence  in  return. 

What  would  you  give  to  Christ  because,  in  order  to 
save  us  and  make  us  God's  children,  He  gave  Himself  ? 
He  wants  our  trust,  our  love,  our  obedience.  And  He 
"does  deserve  it  too."  Let  us  give  it  all,  and  He 
will  give  us  back  more  than  we  give  in  joy,  pleasure, 
and  goodness. 

In  the  old  slave  days,  before  Abraham  Lincoln's  slave 
emancipation,  there  was  in  the  slave  auction  in  New 
Orleans  a  beautiful  mulatto  girl  put  up.  The  bids 
rose  from  500  dollars  to  700,  then  a  voice  outside  the 
crowd  called  750  dollars.  Higher  and  higher  the  bids 
went,  until,  at  1450  dollars,  the  stranger  got  the  girl. 
He  turned  out  to  be  a  Northerner,  and  she  hated  the 
thought  of  becoming  his  slave.  The  next  morning  he 
called  at  the  house  where  she  was.  She  said  sadly, "  Sir, 
I  am  ready  to  go  with  you."  "  But  I  do  not  want  you 
to  go  with  me.  Look  over  this,**  handing  her  the  paper 
of  her  freedom.  "  I  bought  you  that  you  might  be  free." 
She  exclaimed,  "  You  bought  me  that  I  might  be  free  ? 
Am  I  free  ?  Free  ?  Can  I  do  as  I  like  with  myself  ? " 
He  answered,  "  Yes,  you  are  free."  Then  she  said,  with 
sobs  of  joy,  "  Oh,  sir,  I  will  go  with  you  and  be  your 
servant  for  evermore." 

There  is  perhaps  not  one  of  my  boy  and  girl  friends 


88  NO  T  MINE—  WHOSE  f 

who  would  not  have  said  just  the  same.  How  much 
more  should  we  promise  Christ  our  lovingest  service  ? 

Let  us  remember,  then,  that  we  are  not  our  own 
because  Christ  has  bought  us.  We  must  let  God  have 
us. 

If  we  took  anything  out  of  someone's  house  and  did 
not  return  it,  you  know  what  we  should  be.  And  if 
?/e  use  our  life  as  God  does  not  wish,  if  we  do  not  use 
all  for  Him  because  it  is  His,  what  then  shall  we  be  ? 

Let  God  have  His  own  by  living  to  love  and  serve 
Him.     "  Glorify  God  therefore  in  your  body." 


Bias !   JBorroweb 

**  Alas,  master  !  for  it  was  borrowed." 

2  Kings  vi.  5. 

There  were  schools  in  Israel  established  by  the 
prophets  for  the  teaching  and  training  of  the  yoving 
men.  During  Elisha's  life  he  used  to  visit  them  at 
regular  intervals.  There  was  one  such  school  at 
Jericho,  and  when  Elisha  was  visiting  it  on  the 
occasion  before  us,  the  "  sons  of  tlie  prophets "  (the 
students)  said  to  him,  "  The  place  where  we  dwell  before 
thee"  (that  is,  the  place  where  they  assembled  to  hear 
his  teaching — what  we  should  call  the  schoolroom)  "  is 
too  strait  for  us " ;  and  so  they  asked  permission  to 
make  a  larger  place.  They  wished  to  go  to  Jordan,  about 
five  miles  distant,  where  in  the  valley  plenty  of  trees 
were  to  be  found,  and  there  make  it.  The  arrans^ement 
they  suggested  was  that  each  man  should  cut  a  beam 
and  carry  it  to  the  place  of  building.  Elisha  gave  his 
consent,  and  was  sending  them  off  when  they  said, 
"  Consent  to  go  with  us,"  and  so  the  loved  master  went 
with  them. 

Such  a  school   excursion   as   anyone   might  greatly 
enjoy  !     They  had  mostly  to  borrow  their  axes  for  the 


90  ALAS!    BORROWED 

wood-cuttiiig.  And  now  they  are  at  work.  Merry 
work  it  is,  for  none  of  them  understand  tree-felling. 
Some  get  their  beam  off  quickly,  but  here  is  one  who 
has  a  tough  one  to  chop  at,  and  it  does  not  come  away. 
Swing,  swing,  goes  his  axe,  and  the  chips  fly.  Then  of 
a  sudden  away  goes  the  axe-head,  and  with  a  great 
splash  sinks  in  Jordan. 

Elisha  was  near  by,  and  the  novice  wood-cutter, 
looking  at  his  headless  handle,  exclaimed,  "Alas,  my 
master !  for  it  was  borrowed." 

The  master  was  so  sorry  for  his  student  that  he  went 
with  him  to  the  place  and  used  the  special  power  God 
had  given  him  to  recover  the  lost  head.  The  iron  rose 
to  the  stick  the  prophet  threw  into  the  water,  and  the 
young  man  took  it  and  placed  it  again  on  the  handle. 

I  like  this  young  man's  concern  about  the  borrowed 
axe.  He  was  troubled  so  much  because  it  was  borrowed. 
Let  him  teach  us — 

1.  We  have  all  many  things  lent  to  us.  We  soon 
become  borrowers.  Toys,  books,  and  other  things 
which  we  have  not  of  our  own,  we  frequently  get 
others  to  lend  us.  But  in  more  serious  things  we  are 
borrowers. 

Homey  with  its  care,  love,  and  many  joys,  is  lent  to  us. 

Our  name,  which  we  may  honour  or  dishonour,  is  lent. 

Most  of  all,  life  is  God's  great  loan.  Every  day  is 
like  a  polished  axe-head  lent  by  God,  that  we  may  do 
good  work  with  it.  School-days,  play-days,  work-days, 
are  all  lent. 


ALAS!    BORROWED  91 

Our  nature,  its  power  to  love  and  to  enjoy,  to  be 
good  and  to  be  evil,  to  think  and  to  work,  is  lent  to  us. 

The  world,  with  its  hills  and  valleys,  trees  and  flowers, 
birds  and  butterflies,  sunshine  and  shower,  is  also  lent 
to  us  for  a  little  time. 

2.  Borrowed  things  have  to  he  returned.  What  you 
buy  you  may  keep,  but  what  you  borrow  you  must 
give  back. 

If  anyone  lends  you  a  house,  you  must  leave  it  when 
the  time  is  up  in  good  condition.  Or  if  one  lends  you 
a  book,  you  must  take  it  back  when  done  with. 

And  this  is  very  true  of  the  great  loans  granted  to 
us  by  God. 

The  home  God  has  lent  us  must  be  returned  by  a 
faithful  fulfilment  of  all  its  duties. 

Days,  when  idleness  fills  them,  are  like  lost  axe-heads. 

If  we  sin  against  our  nature,  we  are  neglecting  to 
bring  back  to  God  what  He  has  lent. 

We  are  tempted  sometimes  to  be  careless  with  what 
is  borrowed.  I  have  heard  little  voices  say,  "Oh,  it 
doesn't  matter,  it  isn't  ours."  If  the  book  were  ours, 
we  should  cover  it  to  take  care  of  the  bhiding,  but 
because  it  is  a  library  book,  we  don't  mind. 

Carelessness  is  the  great  destroyer  of  lent  things. 

3.  Borrowed  things  may  he  lost.  They  get  sometimes 
amongst  our  own,  and  we  forget  them. 

By  m.isfortune  we  may  lose  them.  Look  high  and 
low  and  you  can't  find  the  borrowed  toy.  "  Where  can 
it  be  ? "     No  one  knows. 


92  ALAS/     BORROWED 

In  both  these  ways  we  may  lose  God's  lent  things. 
We  are  so  accustomed  to  home,  to  smishine,  to  pleasure, 
that  we  forget  God  has  lent  them  only. 

We  are  also  often  like  Elisha's  student,  who  in  using 
liis  axe,  lost  it. 

Who  does  not  know  what  it  is  to  feel  that  after  he 
lias  tried  hard  to  use  a  day  well,  it  has  seemed  at  the 
end  quite  lost. 

Lost  thmgs  may  be  found.  Elisha,  out  of  his  great 
sympathy  for  the  student,  helped  him  to  find  the  lost 
head.     How  excitingr  the  search  must  have  been !     I 

o 

should  like  to  have  stood  on  the  bank  alongside  of  this 
boy,  so  grieved  because  of  his  loss,  and  seen  him  watch 
the  up-coming  of  the  iron.  How  glad  he  would  be  to 
have  it  securely  in  his  hand  again !  The  sorrow  of 
losing  was  great,  but  the  joy  of  finding  was  great  also. 

The  more  valuable  the  thing  lost,  the  greater  the 
joy  when  found. 

There  are  always  plenty  of  people  to  help  us  find  the 
borrowed  lost  things.  If  we  have  lost  any  of  our 
good  name  or  character,  there  are  many  to  help  us 
regain  it.  When  we  say,  "  Come  and  help  me  find  what 
I  have  lost,"  there  will  be  no  want  of  willing  hands. 
And  the  one  to  help  us  most  of  all  will  be  Christ. 

Does  it  matter  what  we  do  with  our  borrowed  thmgs  ? 
Yes ;  to  lose  them  finally  will  be  sorrow,  to  bring  them 
back  will  be  joy.  We  can  imagine  this  young  man's 
delight  when  he  returned, — perhaps  to  some  cottager 
of  whom  he  had  borrowed  the  axe, — saying,  "  Here  is 


ALAS/    BORROWED  93 

the  axe  you  lent  me;  1  feared  once  I  should  never 
bring  it  back,  but  Elisha  helped  me,  and  here  it  is."  So 
we  shall  have  the  approval  of  the  one  who  has  lent 
precious  things  to  us. 

A  little  newsboy  in  America,  six  years  of  age,  was 
run  over  in  the  street.  The  poor  little  injured  fellow 
cried  for  his  mother.  When  she  came,  he  said,  "  I've 
saved  'em,  mother — I've  saved  'em  aU.  Here  they  are." 
In  his  clenched  hands  were  ten  cents. 

Let  us  try  to  be  like  the  newsboy  over  all  that  God 
has  lent  us. 

If  we  can  say  to  God,  "  I've  saved  'em  all,"  the  day 
will  be  a  very  happy  one  to  us  when  we  see  Cxod. 


Sparrows 

(Matt.  X.  29  ;  Luke  xii.  6.) 

There  are  two  sayings  of  Christ's  about  sparrows 
that  are  full  of  teaching  and  encouragement.  Here 
is  one — 

"  Are  not  two  sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing  ?  and  not 
one  of  them  shall  fall  on  the  ground  without  your 
Father"  (Matt.  x.  29). 

This  is  the  other — 

"Are  not  five  sparrows  sold  for  two  farthings, 
and  not  one  of  them  is  forgotten  in  the  sight  of 
God"  (Luke  xii.  6). 

In  the  first  saying,  Christ  refers  to  the  catching  of 
sparrows  for  sale. 

However  they  are  caught,  whether  struck  by  stick 
or  stone,  or  taken  in  the  net,  Christ  says,  "  Not  one  of 
them  shall  fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father." 

In  Christ's  country  the  little  birds  were  generally 
netted,  as  they  are  in  England  to-day.  I  well  re- 
member as  a  boy  seeing  the  linnet-catchers  in  Norfolk. 
They  had  a  double  net  spread  on  the  ground,  which  by 
means  of  a  string  they  could  pull  over  upon  the  unwary 

94 


SPARROWS  95 

birds.  In  the  midst  of  the  ground,  covered  by  the  net, 
they  had  a  bird  tied  by  its  leg  to  a  stick  which  they 
were  able  to  raise  when  they  wished,  and  thus  make  the 
bird  flutter  as  if  flying.  Then  two  or  three  songsters 
were  placed  near  by,  and  groundsel  was  strewn  about. 
Thus  tempted  birds  on  the  wing  would  come  down, 
and  then  the  fowler  would  pull  his  net  over  them. 

But,  according  to  Christ's  word,  God  knew  and 
cared  for  each  one  thus  taken. 

In  the  other  saying  Christ  refers  to  the  cheapness  of 
sparrows  when  sold,  "  five  for  two  farthings  "  (perhaps 
about  equal  to  our  penny).  The  first  text  says  they 
sold  "  two  for  one  farthing."  Those  who  could  afford 
to  spend  a  penny  got  one  bird  thrown  in.  Christ  had 
seen  these  little  creatures  spitted  on  sticks — twenty 
on  a  stick — being  sold  in  the  marketplace  to  the  poor 
people  for  food.  I  have  no  doubt  He  had  heard  the 
poor  bargaining  over  them,  and  He  said,  "  Not  one  of 
them  is  forgotten."  Poor  little  dead  cheap  things,  and 
yet  God  remembers  each  one. 

We  all  love  the  birds.  Spring  and  early  summer 
owe  much  to  them.  The  flowers  would  scarcely  seem 
as  beautiful  if  our  bird  friends  were  not  here  also. 

But  there  are  two  things  that  I  want  you  to  notice 
about  God's  love  of  the  birds.  He  loves  the  common 
ones,  and  each  one. 

First,  God  cares  for  the  common  birds — birds  that 
are  caught  not  because  of  their  feathers  or  their  song, 
but  because  they  can  be  sold  for  food. 


96  SPARROWS 

God  knows  and  loves  the  birds  with  fine  feather 
and  delightful  song,  but  he  does  not  forget  the  dull- 
coloured,  simple-voiced  sparrow.  And  I  think  we  can 
easily  understand  why  this  is  so.  The  bird-life  is  not 
made  up  of  colour  and  song  merely,  and  the  tiny  life 
of  the  sparrow  is  as  needy,  as  real,  and  as  eventful  as 
that  of  the  rarer  birds.  God  looks  at  the  life,  and 
therefore  does  not  forget  or  neglect  a  bird  because  it 
is  common. 

Let  us  learn  this.  We  think  much  about  uncommon 
things.  We  like  birds  that  are  rare  because  they  are 
few,  or  beautiful  because  of  their  gay  feathers,  or 
delightful  because  of  their  rich  song.  The  peacock 
with  his  spreading  tail,  the  kingfisher  with  his  bright 
blue  back,  the  nightingale  with  his  full  song,  the 
blackbird  with  his  loud  morning  call,  the  chiff-chaff 
with  his  delicate  form  and  rousing  "call  to  arms." 
All  these  and  many  more  such  we  notice  and  love; 
but  who  cares  for  the  sparrow,  except  to  throw  a 
stone  at  him  ?  We  ought  to,  for  he  would  be  greatly 
missed  in  town,  and  he  too  has  his  little  life  to 
live. 

Those  are  the  happiest  and  most  useful  people  who 
have  learned  to  prize  the  commonest  things  of  life,  and 
do  well  its  most  ordinary  duties. 

If  also  God  cares  for  common  birds,  we  may  be  sure 
He  cares  for  common  people.  The  rich,  the  clever,  the 
good,  God  loves ;  but  we  cannot  be  so  little,  or  dull, 
or  poor,  for  God  to  forget  us. 


SPARROWS  97 

Secondly,  God  cares  for  each  sparrov: — "  Not  one  is 
forgotten."  I  wonder  how  many  sparrows  there  are 
in  the  world.  God  knows  every  one,  and  He  cares  for 
each.  This  is  the  way  God  loves  and  works.  He  does 
not  love  a  crowd,  but  an  individual.  He  loves  all,  by 
loving  each ;  He  feeds  all,  by  feeding  each  one.  This 
is  true  about  ourselves.  God  knows  not  merely  all 
boys  and  girls,  but  me.     He  loves  all,  but  He  loves  mc. 

Let  us,  too,  be  like  God  as  far  as  we  can.  We  think 
much  of  great  numbers,  don't  w^e  ?  A  swarm  of  bees, 
2i  flock  of  birds,  a  crowd  of  people,  attract  us.  When 
we  see  the  swallows  assembling  in  late  September  or 
early  October,  before  they  migrate  to  their  warmer 
home,  we  wonder  at  their  numbers.  But  we  care 
nothing  for  one. 

The  boy  who  keeps  rabbits  will  see  to  them  very 
attentively  while  he  has  many,  but  when  only  one  is 
left,  he  forgets  it.     We  say,  "  Only  one." 

We  speak  an  unkind  word  and  then  say,  "  It  was 
only  one"  or  do  a  wrong  deed,  or  go  to  a  wrong  place, 
and  again  we  say,  "  Only  one — only  once." 

God  knows  the  worth  and  the  power  of  one,  and  we 
must  not  forget.  1  beside  0  makes  10,  while  1  away 
from  the  side  of  0  leaves  nothing.  Wonderful  little 
figure  this  one  is  ! 

Don't  be  careless  about  one  word,  or  deed  or  habit. 
So  Christ  teaches  us  that  God  cares  for  birds,  and 
common  birds.     Let  us  do  the  same. 

Let  country  boys  protect  them  during  the  nesting 


98  SPARROWS 

season.  Don't  destroy  their  nests,  or  take  all  their 
eggs,  or  hurt  their  young ;  and  persuade  every  boy 
you  know  to  be  kind  to  them  in  these  respects. 

Let  girls  do  all  they  can  to  coax  mothers  not  to  buy 
little  birds  to  put  in  hats,  because  they  look  very 
ridiculous,  and  their  slaughter  for  this  purpose  is  very 
sad  and  cruel. 

Let  neither  boy  nor  girl  throw  stones  at  the  birds, 
for  they  are  God's,  and  He  knows.  Be  one  and  all 
bird  protectors. 

A  kind-hearted  farmer  who  loved  the  birds  had  his 
reward  in  a  wonderful  manner.  His  little  girl  Patty 
wandered  at  harvest-time  into  the  field  where  her 
father  and  his  men  were  reaping  corn.  She  saw  them 
at  the  farther  side  of  the  big  field,  and  tried  to  catch 
their  eye,  but  could  not,  and  so  sat  on  a  sheaf.  Then 
a  bird  flew  up  out  of  the  standing  corn.  She  went  to 
see  if  there  was  a  nest,  and  found  it  with  three  little 
birdies  in.  Patty  sat  down  in  the  long  corn  and 
talked  to  them.  All  the  time  the  clicking  machine 
with  its  sharp  knives  was  coming  on.  And  when  near 
to  where  Patty  was,  tlie  farmer  said  to  one  of  his  men, 
"  Here,  Tom,  come  and  hold  the  team.  There  is  a  lark's 
nest  somewhere  near  the  old  tree  yonder ;  I  will  hunt 
it  up,  and  you  can  drive  round  so  as  not  to  hurt  the 
birds."  Beside  the  nest  he  found  his  own  bright  little 
birdie ;  picked  her  up  and  kissed  her,  thanking  God  for 
the  birds  that  had  saved  her.  He  might  have  thanked 
God  that  He  h.-id  tauuiit  him  to  care  for  the  birds. 


SPARKClVS  99 

Christ  speaks  of  God's  care  for  them,  that  we  may 
be  sure  of  His  love  for  us.  If  God  cares  for  sparrow.^, 
with  their  wee  life  and  short  history,  how  much  more 
for  us  v/ith  our  greater  life. 

Here  are  a  few  verses  from  "  The  Sparrow's  Song," 
which  beautifully  express  this — 

"  I'm  only  a  little  sparrow, 
A  bird  of  low  degree  ; 
My  life  is  of  little  value, 

But  the  dear  Lord  cares  for  me. 

I  know  there  are  many  sparrows  ; 

All  over  the  world  they  are  found  ; 
But  our  Heavenly  Father  knoweth 

When  one  falls  to  the  ground. 

I  fly  through  the  thickest  forest, 

I  alight  on  many  a  spray  ; 
I  have  no  chart  or  compass. 

But  I  never  lose  my  way. 

I  just  fold  my  wings  at  nightfall 

Wherever  I  happen  to  be ; 
For  the  Father  is  always  watching: 

No  harm  can  happen  to  me. 

I  am  only  a  little  sparrow, 

A  bird  of  low  degree, 
I>ut  I  know  that  the  Father  loves  me. 

Dost  thou  know  His  love  for  tliee  ? " 


©l^  Shoce  an^  dlonteb 


And   (»lil   .slmcs  ;ui(l    rIouLed   ilpou   \\h'.\v   foot." 

Josii.  ix.  5. 


Tf  we  had  seen  these  men  of  Gibeoii,  with  tliese  old 
iiiciided  sliocs  on  tlieir  feet,  we  sliould  have  said, 
"'i'lic.y  have  coim;  so  t';M'  thiit  they  liave  worn  out  tlieir 
shoes  oil  Llic  road,  and  li.id  to  mend — clout — tliem!" 
And  that  is  JKst  the  impression  tliey  wanted  to  make 
on  Josliua  and  his  people.  Tlie  stmy  is  a  very  funny 
one. 

Josliua  had  just  begun  his  inaveh  into  the  Promised 
Land.  He.  had  tal<en  two  large  cities  and  been  most 
victorious.  WIkmi  the  kings  beyond  Jordan  heard 
of  .loslnia's  succ(^sses,  they  gathered  tluMiistdves 
tog(U-her  to  light.  There  were;  six  kings  with  their 
armies,  lint  iJie  men  of  (libeon  thought  they  would 
try  jinother  phiii.  h'al-her  than  light,  they  would  get 
-loslnia,  to  make  a  covenant  with  them.  'J'o  do  this 
they  must  make  him  believe  that  they  lived  a  long 
way  off.  And  so  they  ])ut  old  sacks  on  their  asses, 
took  wine-skins  old  and  rent,  old  clothes,  dj-y  and 
mouldy  bread,  and  old  shoes  and  clouted. 

doshua  was  very  suspicious  (»f  tlnMU,  and   said.  But 


OT.n  SHOES  AND  ci.oc ri'.n 


loi 


^.(•iliiii.s  y..n   <lw('Il    ■•i.inniia   „h  ;   Imw   sli:ill   wo   in.M.kc   a, 
(•(»v('iia.Ml  with  you  ';' 

And  Mu'ii  \\\vy  snJ.I  all  kiu'ls  of  plausihl.'  Miii.-s,  and. 
pnintin-  t,<.  llu-ir  cnn.lili.a.,  sai.l  tJ.at  iJicy  Imd  l-akn. 
Uhmi-  iMvad  Ih.I,  and  now  it  was  dry  and  mouldy; 
(,lM>i,-  wineskins  wcic  n.-w,  Imt  now  rent;  and  "our 
oaiiucnts  a,nd  our  sl.oes  arc  i.c-om.'  <.ld  l.y  lvil^^^l.  of 
the  vciy  lon<j;  journey." 

.)(»sliua,  said  notliin^';  to  Cod  al.out  it,  and  made  a, 
covenant  with  them.  Then  at  th.-  end  ..I'  thr.-e  days 
h(.  discovered  the  dreeption,  and  made  tlieni  slaves  lor 
rver,  to  hew  wood  and  to  draw  wa.ter  Idr  the  li<ais<' 
(,!'   Cod. 

r,.,ys  and   <^irls,   never   wear    old    shoes  and    clouted, 

1,0  make  helieve. 

All  tlx'  lies  do  not  come  licm  the  tou'Mie  :  we  may 
.,,,.(,;,,  |„>  just  a,s  suivly  and  casdy  a,s  tell  one,  and  we 
ii,ic  as  icaJly  lia,iH  when  W(r  <|o. 

I  kn<'W  a.  wood-Heller  who  always  carried  two  hundles 
of  sticks,  and  sa,id  when  he  ••ainc  to  the  donr,  "'I'hcs.' 
are  the  hist  I  ha.vc."  Ihd,  all  the  time  he  had  a,  l)i<< 
sackful  ut  the  end  of  the  sti'cct.  That  wa,s  ''old  HhocH 
and  cIouUmI." 

A  hoy  a,sked  a,  friend  of  niim'  h.r  a,  penny,  the  exa.ct 
sum  lie  lU'cdcd  to  huy  a,  hat.  So  it  was  when  he  left 
l„.me,  hut  lH^a,sked  tw.'.nty  people   f<.r  tha,t  |)(Miny,  and 

got  it. 

A  hoy  smokin;^r  hccs  his  hi.tlicr  cominj!;:  out  comcH 
the  pipe,  a!i(l  iid-o  his   pock(^t,  a,n<l    he   meets   his  father 


I02  OLD  SHOES  AND  CLOUTED 

as  if  he  loved  him,  and  were  really  the  boy  the  father 
thinks  him  to  be. 

All  this  is  like  old  shoes  and  clouted  on  our  feet. 
Whenever  we  are  pretending  to  be  what  we  are  not, 
or  to  be  doing  what  we  are  not  really  doing,  we  are 
acting  like  these  men  of  Gibeon. 

Let  me  give  four  reasons  why  we  should  not  make 
believe. 

1.  It  is  mean. 

The  schoolboy  does  not  like  to  be  called  a  sneak. 
He  would  far  rather  suffer  a  thrashing,  or  bear  false 
blame.  To  make  believe  is  sneaking.  It  is  degrad- 
ing both  to  ourselves  and  in  the  sight  of  others,  and 
very  unfair.  If  we  are  once  found  out,  no  one  will 
trust  us. 

Aristotle,  one  of  the  great  philosophers,  was  once 
asked  what  a  man  could  gain  by  telling  a  lie,  and  he 
replied,  "Never  to  be  credited  when  he  speaks  the 
truth." 

You  may  be  sure  that  Joshua  and  his  people  would 
be  pretty  wary  about  the  men  of  Gibeon,  after  their 
trick. 

One  of  the  saddest  things  that  can  befall  us  is  to 
get  the  character  of  a  deceiver,  and  therefore  not  to  be 
trusted. 

2.  It  ivill  out 

Only  three  days,  and  their  deception  was  discovered. 
Just  a  chance  report  came  to  Joshua  that  they  liad 
not  come  from  a   long  distance,  but  were  his  neigh- 


OLD  SHOES  AND  CLOUTED  103 

hours  and  dwelt  near  to  him.  They  had  managed 
everything  cleverly  thus  far,  and  then  some  person, 
unknown  and  unsuspected,  "  tells." 

Yes,  we  can't  hide  much.  In  most  strange  and 
unexpected  ways  people  find  out  when  our  old  shoes 
are  not  genuine.  Eemember  Gehazi.  The  wealthy 
Syrian  captain  was  cured  of  his  leprosy  through  Elisha, 
and  pressed  the  man  of  God  to  receive  a  present. 
This  he  stoutly  declined.  Gehazi  saw  the  Syrian  go 
away  with  his  treasures  and  chariots,  and  was  greatly 
disappointed. 

So,  on  the  pretence  that  two  young  men  had  unex- 
pectedly come  from  the  hills,  and  his  master  would  be 
glad  of  something  for  them,  he  ran  after  the  "rich 
stranger"  and  asked  for  a  talent  of  silver,  and  two 
changes  of  raiment. 

Naaman  gave  him  one  talent  more  than  he  asked, 
and  sent  two  servants  to  carry  the  present.  This  very 
much  increased  Gehazi's  difficulty,  lest  his  master 
should  see  these  servants.  So  when  they  got  to  the 
hill,  just  before  the  house  came  into  view  he  let  them 
go,  and  he  hid  the  present  in  some  secret  place ;  then 
he  went  over  the  brow  of  the  hill,  into  the  house, 
and  stood  before  his  master  as  if  nothing  had 
happened.  How  great  his  surprise  when  he  found 
that  all  was  known !  Even  the  hill  and  his  clever- 
ness had  not  prevented  the  master  knowing.  "And 
he  went  out  from  his  presence  a  leper  as  white  as 
snow." 


I04  OLD  SHOES  AND  CLOUTED 

We  shall  be  found  out  sooner  or  later. 

3.   We  know,  if  no  one  else  does. 

A  little  girl  in  her  Sunday  school  repeated  the  23rd 
Psalm.  A  visitor  who  was  present  was  so  pleased 
with  the  way  in  which  she  did  it,  that  he  gave  her  a 
shilling.  Great  was  the  child's  joy  over  the  shilling, 
all  her  own.  The  visitor  noticed  this,  and,  guessing 
that  she  would  spend  it  as  soon  as  she  could,  said  to 
her,  "  I  see  a  great  many  shops  open,  though  it  is  God's 
day.  You  must  on  no  account  spend  that  coin  in  any 
of  them  to-day,  but  keep  it  till  to-morrow.  You 
understand,  I  won't  be  present  to  see  you,  but  there 
is  One  who  will  see  you,  and  find  out  at  once  if  you 
break  the  Sabbath  day."  The  child  was  silent,  her 
dark,  thoughtful  eye  was  turned  up  to  the  speaker's 
face  as  if  she  knew  what  he  meant,  and  had  taken 
it  all  in. 

"  Who  will  see  j^ou  ? "  he  asked,  thinking  he  knew 
quite  well  what  she  would  answer.  "  Myself  will  see 
ME,"  was  her  unexpected,  but  splendid  reply.  "  Myself 
will  see  me."  Do  you  think  that  would  matter  ?  Yes, 
very  much  indeed.  It  is  terrible  to  hate  oneself,  to 
despise  oneself,  because — though  no  one  else  knows 
— we  know  that  we  have  done  mean  and  wicked 
things. 

And,  boys  and  girls,  it  comes  to  that  sooner  or  later. 
We  can  bear  the  liate  of  other -,  if  we  know  that  we 
have  done  right,  but  the  very  love  of  our  friends 
becomes  a  burden  to  us  when  we  know  that  we  have 


OLD  SHOES  AND  CLOUTED  105 

done  wrong.  The  good  opinion  other  people  form  of 
us  is  like  a  poisoned  arrow  when  we  know  that  we 
have  deceived  them.  Don't  make  an  enemy  of  your- 
self by  wearing  old  shoes  and  clouted  to  make 
believe. 

4.  God  knows. 

When  these  men  were  getting  together  their  old 
clothes,  their  rent  bottles,  their  mouldy  bread,  and 
their  old  shoes,  hoping,  thinking,  saying,  "  jSTo  one  will 
know," — someone  knew. 

When  they  inspected  one  another  in  their  strange 
guise,  and  felt  pleased  with  the  effective  display  (for 
they  looked  just  like  men  who  had  come  off  a  very 
long  journey),  they  did  not  remember  that  other  eyes 
were  there. 

When  they  thought  within  themselves,  "  Surely  we 
shall  succeed ;  Joshua  and  his  people  won't  find  out," 
they  forgot  there  was  One  who  is  "  not  mocked." 

Brother  and  sister  were  carrying  a  basket  of  cakes 
to  their  grandmother.  Nearly  all  children  love  cakes, 
and  these  two  did.  Presently  they  peeped  through 
the  half-open  lid,  to  see  what  they  were  like.  Then 
they  opened  it  wide.  Then  they  wondered  what  they 
would  taste  like,  and  they  counted  them  carefully. 
"  So  many,  we  might  eat  one,  just  one,  and  no  one  will 
know.  Perhaps  mother  didn't  count  them,  and  surely 
grandmother  won't." 

I  rather  think  they  would  have  eaten  one,  had  not 
the  sister  asked  a  very  awkward  question — "  Can't  God 


io6  OLD  SHOES  AND  CLOUTED 

count  ? "     Down  went  the  lid,  and  away  the  little  folk  ! 
ran  to  grandmother's. 

Yes,  that  is  it.     God  counts,  and  though  no  one  else 
may  know,  and  we  "don't  care,"  God  knows,  and  to 

Him  "lying  lips   are  abomination,"  and  so  are  lying  ; 

feet.  I 

"When,  then,  you  are  tempted  to  act  like  these  men  i 

with  their  old  shoes,  remember  them  and  their  fate,  i 

and  be  straight.  I 


%05t  Sblelbs 

"  Anfl  he  took  away  nil  tlie  shields  of  gokl  which  Solomon  had  made.' 

1  Kings  xiv.  26. 

There  is  a  very  interesting  history  in  connection  with 
these  shields.  When  Solomon  was  making  his  throne 
and  drinking  vessels  and  other  wondrons  things,  he 
made  also  two  hundred  targets  (shields  large  enough  to 
cover  the  w^hole  body),  which  he  overlaid  with  gold, 
six  hundred  shekels  going  to  each  target.  Besides  these, 
he  made  three  hundred  shields,  which  he  overlaid  also 
with  gold,  giving  about  three  hundred  shekels  to  each 
shield. 

He  put  these  shields  in  his  armoury,  which  he  called 
"the  house  of  the  forest  of  Lebanon."  He  probably 
gave  it  this  name  because  the  pillars  of  the  house  came 
from  the  cedar  forests  of  Lebanon.  He  used  the  shields 
on  great  state  occasions. 

In  the  fifth  year  of  Eehoboam's  reign,  Shishak,  king 
of  Egypt,  came  against  Jerusalem,  and  amongst  other 
valuable  things  he  took  away  "  all  the  shields  of  gold 
which  Solomon  had  made."  The  king  made  in  their 
stead  brass  shields ;  and  when  he  went  to  the  house  of 
God,  the  native  troops  carried   them  in  state.      But 


io8  LOST  SHIELDS 

they  were  never  like  Solomon's  costly  shields , 
however  they  looked,  they  were  but  brass  instead  of 
gold.  Here  is  a  parable  of  life  that  we  may  learn 
together* 

Childhood  gives  to  all  of  us  golden  shields  of  char- 
acter to  protect  us  against  sin  and  temptation.  If  we 
keep  our  shields,  we  shall  grow  in  goodness  and  beauty 
until  we  are  ''  full-grown  men  in  Christ."  Trust,  truth- 
fulness, simplicity,  love,  obedience,  happiness,  are  six 
of  our  most  important  shields. 

But  temptation  comes ;  sin  the  great  destroyer  arises, 
and  we  are  liable  to  lose  them  all.  The  history  of  some 
people  from  childhood  to  manhood  is  just  a  record  of 
the  loss  of  their  shields.  An  artist  who  wanted  a  model 
of  innocence  saw  one  day  a  happy,  bonnie  boy  playing 
by  the  stream  side.  That,  said  the  artist,  is  Innocence. 
He  coaxed  the  laddie  to  be  his  model,  and  painted  him 
kneeling  with  his  hands  clasped  in  prayer,  and  got  a 
very  successful  picture.  Years  passed  away,  and  the 
artist  became  an  old  man.  He  had  often  thought  he 
should  like  a  companion  picture,  giving  the  other  side 
of  life — Guilt.  He  went  to  the  prison  and  selected  the 
most  repulsive  man  there.  His  eye  was  that  of  a 
culprit,  his  countenance  with  lines  of  guilt  which  spoke 
of  his  degraded  life.  He  served  v>^ell  the  painter's 
purpose.  When  he  came  to  question  him  about  his 
history,  he  found,  to  his  great  surprise,  that  it  was  he 
who,  as  a  lovely  boy,  had  been  his  model  of  Innocence. 
Thus  the  artist  had  the  two  ends  of  life — the  innocent, 


LOST  SHIELDS  109 

happy  boy  at  the  brook ;  the  hard,  debased  man  in  the 
prison. 

A^Tiat  had  he  done  ?  Lost  all  his  shields  of  character 
with  which  he  began  life, — truth,  simplicity,  honesty, 
obedience,  happiness  had  all  gone.  But  he  need  not 
have  lost  one.  By  trust  in  Christ,  by  prayer,  by  care, 
he  should  have  kept  them  all. 

Now  let  us  look  at  some  shields  which  we  may  lose 
but  can  keep. 

1.  Siw.plicity  is  like  a  golden  shield. 

As  children  we  love  the  simple,  the  beautiful,  the 
natural  things.  We  have  at  first  no  "  airs " ;  foolish 
pride  has  not  come  to  us.  But  as  we  grow  older,  we 
have  to  fight  for  our  shield. 

The  tempter  Pride  comes  to  us,  as  we  get  to  have 
things  of  our  own,  and  to  know  the  world  so  full  of 
many  vanities.  Then,  unless  we  keep  our  shield,  we 
shall  come  to  think  much  of  ourselves  because  we  know 
a  little  more  than  somebody  else,  or  live  in  a  bigger 
house  than  they.  There  will  arise  a  great  temptation 
(especially  to  my  girl  friends)  to  be  vain  about  dress 
to  think  much  more  about  what  we  put  on  than  about 
what  we  are;  to  spend  time  on  foolish  dressing  that 
we  ought  to  spend  in  doing  good  to  others. 

I  know  nothing  quite  so  foolish  as  the  love  of  dress. 
How  many  I  have  known  very  sensitive  about  a  pretty 
dress,  but  very  forgetful  of  pretty  deeds. 


no  LOST  SHIELDS 

2.  Obedience,  is  another  precious  shield. 

One  of  Ufe's  first  and  best  lessons  is  this  obedience. 
It  seems  irksome  to  carry,  and  we  feel  that  we  would 
much  rather  do  as  we  like.  But  that  would  be  a  sad 
loss  of  shield.  If  we  are  to  keep  the  law  of  our 
country,  we  must  learn  to  keep  that  of  liome  and  school. 
If  we  are  to  do  God's  will,  we  must  learn  to  do  that  of 
those  above  us  here.  If  ever  we  are  to  rule  truly,  we 
must  first  learn  to  serve,  for  it  is  obedience  that  leads 
to  all  true  kingship. 

But  this  is  one  of  the  first  sliields  stolen  fruni  us. 
We  begin  to  feel  that  we  are  too  big  to  obey.  Big 
boys  sometimes  think  it  beneath  their  dignity  to  obey 
their  mother.  Then  we  soon  make  excuses:  Wliat 
does  it  matter  ? "  "  l^o  one  will  know  ; "  ''  Just  once  ; " 
and  so  we  lose  our  shield. 

3.  Truthfulness  is  indeed  a  shield  of  gold. 

There  are  some  who  do  not  know  much  about  it,  and 
others  who  do  not  care ;  but  most  of  us  begin  life  by 
feeling  that  we  ought  to  tell  the  truth.  We  have  a 
natural  scorn  for  a  lie.  Nothing  makes  us  so  indignant 
as  to  be  suspected  of  untruthfulness.  To  sneak  is 
mean,  but  to  lie  is  meaner. 

Let  us,  at  all  cost,  keep  this  shield.  We  are  very 
Hable  to  lose  it.  We  are  tempted  not  to  be  particular 
about  littU  things ;  to  tell  only  a  half  truth,  to  hesitate 
or  prevaricate.  When  a  lie  would  serve  us,  and  perhaps 
save  us  some  present  trouble,  we  are  in  great  peril  of 
losing  our  shield.     David  did  this  once.     He  had  just 


LOST  SHIELDS  in 

said  good-bye  to  Jonathan  and  gone  to  Nob.  Ahime- 
lech  the  priest  was  afraid  to  see  him  alone,  and  asked 
him  how  it  was.  David  was  sorely  pressed  by  hunger, 
and  had  no  weapon.  Then,  in  order  to  get  bread  and 
sword  from  the  priest,  he  said  the  king  had  sent  him 
on  a  secret  mission.  He  got  bread  and  Goliath's  sword. 
But  he  lied,  and  in  the  loss  of  his  shield  endless  trouble 
came :  the  priests  were  slain ;  Saul  sinned ;  and  David 
brought  longer  exile  upon  himself. 

Never  let  anything  rob  you  of  your  truthfulness. 
There  is  a  beautiful  story  told  of  a  mother  in  an 
Eastern  land  who  sent  out  her  boy  to  begin  life  in  a 
distant  city.  She  sewed  inside  his  waistcoat  forty  gold 
dinars. 

Her  last  counsel  to  him  was  to  seek  and  to  follow 
always  the  truth.  On  his  way,  he  had  to  cross  a  part 
of  the  desert  infested  by  robbers.  One  of  these  came 
galloping  up  and  sternly  asked,  "  Boy,  what  money 
have  you  got  ? "  "I  have  forty  gold  dinars  sewed  up 
in  my  waistcoat."  The  Bedouin  burst  into  a  fit  of 
laughter,  thinking  the  boy  was  joking.  Turning  his 
horse,  he  galloped  back  to  his  troop.  By  and  by  a 
comrade  came  asking  the  same  question,  and,  getting 
the  same  answer,  he  went  back,  thinking  it  a  joke 
also.  Then  their  leader  came,  and  got  the  same  answer. 
Leaping  off  his  horse,  he  felt  the  boy's  clothes  till  he 
counted  the  forty  coins.  "What  made  you  tell  the 
truth,  my  boy  ? "  he  asked.  "  My  God,  and  my  mother, 
sir,"  was  the  reply.     Bravo,  laddie !     Did  the  robbers 


112  LOST  SHIELDS 

take  his  money  ?  No,  they  let  hhn  go,  and  he  pros- 
pered in  the  city  whither  he  went. 

So  all  our  other  shields  may  be  lost.  Envy  and 
jealousy  will  rob  us  of  love;  selfishness  and  sin  will 
take  away  joy;  doubt  and  fear  will  destroy  trust. 

Let  us  ask  two  questions. 

1.  How  can  we  keep  our  shields  ? 

Be  quite  sure  that  we  need  not  lose  one.  There  is 
no  necessity  to  be  worse  when  we  are  old  than  we  were 
when  young.  The  sadness  of  these  lines  should  not  be 
ours — 

"...  Now  'tis  little  joy 
To  know  I'm  farther  off  from  heaven 
Than  when  I  was  a  bo}^" 

By  prayer,  by  care,  and  by  faith  in  Christ  as  our  Saviour 
and  Friend,  we  shall  keep  our  shields. 

2.  If  we  lose  a  shield,  what  then  ? 

Eehoboam  made  brass  ones  instead  of  the  gold.  Shall 
we  ?  Ko,  we  can  win  back  the  lost  ones.  By  repent- 
ing of  our  sins,  chat  is,  telling  God  about  them,  and 
asking  Him  to  forgive  them  ;  by  consecration,  that  is, 
giving  up  our  sins  and  giving  ourselves  to  God,  we 
shall  win  back  the  shields  we  have  lost. 

Never  lose  one ;  but,  if  you  do,  get  it  back  quickly. 


Hpples  of  6ol^ 

**  A  word  fitly  spoken  is  like  apples  of  gold  in  baskets  of  silver." 

Prov.  XXV.  11  (R.V.). 

This  is  a  pretty  verse,  speaking  to  us  about  the  import- 
ance of  our  words.  "  What  does  a  word  matter  ! "  we 
often  say.  The  wise  man  says  it  is — if  fitly  spoken — 
like  an  apple  of  gold  in  a  basket  of  silver.  By  "  apples 
of  gold "  the  text  does  not  mean  apples  made  of  gold, 
but  golden-coloured  fruit.  You  know  that  when  people 
are  writing  poetry,  they  don't  always  call  a  thing  exactly 
what  it  is,  but  name  it  from  what  it  is  like.  And  so, 
because  of  the  rich  colour  and  beauty  of  this  fruit,  the 
poet  calls  it  "  apples  of  gold  " — meaning  perhaps  some 
kind  of  orange.  Our  poet  sees  this  delicious  fruit  being 
carried  in  silver  baskets,  beautiful  and  valuable  because 
of  their  metal  and  their  chaste  workmanship. 

So  that  we  have  not  merely  rich  fruit,  but  lovely 
baskets  to  carry  it  in.  Fruit  good  to  eat  and  pleasantly 
served. 

"  Words,"  says  the  poet,  "  fitly  spoken,"  are  like  this 
gulden  fruit  in  the  silver  basket.  What  words  could 
he  mean  ? 

1.  Words  which  are  fit  in  themselves — right  words. 

8 


114  APPLES  OF  GOLD 

We  may  be  quite  sure  that  there  are  many  worda 
that  are  not  like  this,  and  have  no  silver  basket. 

Slang  may  be  like  the  crab-apple,  but  it  is  not  the 
golden  apple.  How  out  of  place  "  crabs  "  v^ould  be  in 
a  silver  basket. 

Tale-bearing,  slander,  swearing  are  certainly  not  in 
our  basket.  Nor  are  careless  words,  spoken  often  only 
in  jest.     No ;  only  right  ones  are  like  apples  of  gold. 

A  boy,  the  son  of  a  poor  labourer,  was  one  day  bowl- 
ing a  round  stone  in  the  road  for  fun.  It  struck  against 
another  stone  in  front  of  a  cottage,  rose  up,  and  then 
crashed  through  the  window.  The  man  was  at  hom.e, 
and  very  soon  at  the  door  to  see  who  had  done  it. 
Finding  the  small  boy  in  the  road,  he  asked  him 
whether  he  knew  who  had  broken  the  window.  What 
do  you  think  he  said — "  That  boy  who  has  just  run 
round  the  corner "  ?  No,  no,  but  like  a  man  he 
answered,  "  I  did,  but  I  will  pay  for  it,"  and  then  he 
told  how  it  happened. 

The  cottager  looked  at  him,  surprised  at  his  truthful- 
ness, and  said,  "  You  shall  not  pay  it  all.  You  have 
neither  run  away  nor  told  a  lie,  and  although  I  am  poor, 
T  will  bear  half  the  loss  myself." 

The  poor  boy  said  words  that  were  like  apples  of 
gold  in  a  basket  of  silver. 

Thus  all  true  words,  all  kind  words,  all  words  of 
repentance  and  prayer,  of  sincerity  and  resolution,  of 
wisdom  and  love,  may  be  such  as  our  text  speaks 
of. 


APPLES  OF  GOLD  1 1 5 

2.  Bufc  the  text  means  also  rigjit  words  said  in  a 
right  way. 

It  matters  much  what  we  say,  and  much  also  how  we 
say  it.  Kind  words  may  be  so  roughly  spoken  that  they 
lose  all  their  kindness,  and  severe  words  may  be  so 
gently  spoken  that  they  do  not  sting  overmuch. 

When  a  black  boy  was  asked  by  the  missionary, 
"  Who  are  the  meek  ? "  his  reply  was,  "  Those  who  give 
soft  answers  to  rough  questions." 

We  so  often  spoil  words  by  speaking  them  wrongly. 

A  boy  went  to  apply  for  a  situation. 

"  Can  you  write  a  good  hand  ? "  the  governor  asked. 

"Yaas." 

"  Good  at  figures  ? " 

"  Yaas." 

"Know  the  city  well?" 

"  Yaas." 

"  That  will  do.  I  don't  want  you,"  answered  the 
merchant. 

"  But,"  said  a  friend  when  the  boy  had  gone,  "  I 
know  the  lad  to  be  an  honest,  industrious  boy;  why 
don't  you  give  him  a  chance  ? " 

"  Because  he  hasn't  learned  to  say  '  Yes,  sir,'  and  '  No, 
sir.'  If  he  answers  me  as  he  did  when  applying  for  a 
situation,  how  will  he  answer  customers  after  being 
here  a  month  ?  *' 

So  he  lost  the  first  situation  he  applied  for  because 
he  hadn't  learned  about  the  worth  of  a  word  "  fitly 
spoken." 


ii6  APPLES  OF  GOLD 

Thus  our  text,  with  its  beautiful  picture  of  the  golclen 
fruit  in  silver  baskets,  teaches  us  the  great  worth  of  our 
words,  when  good  themselves  and  when  well  said. 

There  is  a  short  prayer  which  we  should  all  pray — 

"  Set  a  watch,  0  Lord,  before  my  mouth ;  keep  the 
door  of  my  lips." 

Mind  your  words,  boys  and  girls,  and  God  will  help 
you. 

"  Sir,"  said  a  lad  coming  down  to  one  of  the  wharves 
in  Boston,  and  addressing  a  well-known  merchant — 
"  Sir,  have  you  any  berth  on  your  ship  ?  I  want  to 
earn  something." 

"  What  can  you  do  ? "  asked  the  gentleman. 

"  I  can  try  my  best  to  do  whatever  I  am  put  to  do," 
answered  the  boy. 

"  What  have  you  done  ?  " 

"  I  have  sawn  and  split  all  mother's  wood  for  nigh 
on  two  years." 

"  What  have  you  not  done  ? "  asked  the  gentleman, 
who  was  a  queer  sort  of  a  questioner. 

"Well,  sir,"  answered  the  boy,  after  a  moment's 
pause,  "  I  have  not  whispered  in  school  once  for  a 
whole  year." 

"  That's  enough,"  said  the  gentleman ;  "  you  may  ship 
aboard  this  vessel,  and  I  hope  to  see  you  the  master  of 
her  some  day.  A  boy  who  can  master  a  wood-pile  and 
bridle  his  tongue  must  be  made  of  good  stuff." 

We  could  master  the  wood-pile;  let  us  try  also  to 
master  our  tongue. 


APPLES  OF  GOLD  117 

Will  Carle  ton  says  in  his  First  Settlers  Story — 

"  Boys  flying  kites  haul  in  their  white-winged  birds  ; 
You  can't  do  that  way  when  you're  flying  words. 
Things  that  we  think  may  sometimes  fall  back  dead  ; 
But  God  Himself  can't  kill  them  when  they're  said." 

"Kind  words  never   die."      And   every  word   fitly 
spoken  is  like  an  apple  of  gold  in  a  basket  of  silver. 


Secon^ 

**I  shall  be  next  unto  thee." 

1  Sam.  xxiii.  17. 

What  a  kind,  unselfish  soul  Jonathan  was.  His  love 
and  care  for  David  we  all  admire.  We  have  a  sweet 
little  picture  of  him  here.  David  was  keeping  out  of 
Saul's  way  because  he  was  "  seeking  his  life,"  and  was 
getting  evidently  afraid  and  weary  of  being  hunted. 
Jonathan  met  him  in  a  wood  (or  perhaps  a  place  called 
Horesh)  privately,  and  tried  to  cheer  him.  He  told 
him  not  to  fear,  "  for  the  hand  of  Saul  my  father  shall 
not  find  thee  ;  and  thou  shalt  be  king  over  Israel.  And 
I  shall  be  next  unto  thee." 

These  were  cheery,  manly  words,  and  there  were,  I 
doubt  not,  many  more  such.  Jonathan  meant  what  he 
said,  and  quite  believed  he  would  have  the  joy  of  seeing 
his  friend  on  the  throne.  But  before  that  time  good, 
kind  Jonathan  was  killed  in  battle,  and  we  are  not 
told  that  they  ever  met  again  after  Horesh.  If  they 
had  known  it  was  their  last  meeting,  Jonathan  could 
not  have  said  nobler  words,  or  more  surely  have 
"  strengthened  David's  hand  in  God." 

Here  was  the   king's   son,  next    to  the  throne  by 

118 


SECOND  119 

birth,  doing  all  he  could  to  encourage  the  shepherd's 
son  to  the  highest  place,  while  he  is  quite  content  to 
be  second. 

This  is  one  of  the  things  we  all  have  to  learn — namely, 
liovj  to  take  second  "place  gracefully. 

There  is  a  right  ambition  we  all  feel  which  makes  us 
wish  to  be  first.  The  school  worker,  if  he  is  worth 
much,  strives  for  the  top  place  in  class.  The  racer 
runs  hard  to  come  in  first,  and  is  glad  when  the  winning 
cheer  greets  him.     So  it  should  be. 

But  we  cannot  always  be  first,  and  the  great  thing 
then  is,  like  Jonathan,  to  see  someone  above  us,  before 
us,  in  the  coveted  place,  without  being  angry  or  jealous 
or  sulky.  He  is  happy,  indeed,  who,  without  giving  up 
true  ambition,  can  say,  "  I  shall  be  next,"  with  all  good 
feeling. 

In  the  first  place,  I  want  you  to  remember  that 
there  are  times  when  we  miiBt  be  next. 

At  home  we  have  to  take  second  place  sometimes. 
The  younger  give  place  to  the  elders  naturally.  The 
visitor  is  always  before  those  of  the  home.  Our 
little  guest  must  have  first  choice  of  everything, 
first  turn  at  every  game,  first  seat  at  table,  first  gift 
in  presents;  and  we  of  the  home  should  gladly  be 
next. 

There  is  the  cleverer  boy  in  our  own  class,  who, 
do  what  we  will,  takes  first  place.  Perhaps  he 
does  not  work  harder  than  you  do,  but  you  can't  beat 
him. 


I20  SECOND 

Examination  time  comes,  as  come  it  will.  You  have 
been  working  very  hard  all  the  term  to  come  out  first. 
And  when  the  list  comes,  you  are  down,  and  the  one 
you  feared  is  at  the  top.  Now  is  the  time  to  take 
second  place  cheerfully. 

A  girl  the  other  day  said  to  her  successful  rival, 
"  I  hate  you  for  getting  first."  If  she  had  possessed 
Jonathan's  fine  spirit,  she  would  have  said,  "  I  tried 
hard  to  beat  you,  but  you  have  fairly  beaten  me,  and  I 
congratulate  you." 

We  cannot  help  people  being  older,  and  richer  and 
cleverer  and  stronger  than  we  are,  so  let  us  learn  the 
simple  gladness  of  being  a  good  second. 

Then  let  us  remember,  also,  that  there  are  times 
when  we  may  choose  to  be  second. 

Jonathan  was  very  likely  the  eldest  of  the  king's 
sons,  and  had  perhaps  the  natural  claim  to  the  throne. 
But  because  God  has  chosen  David  the  peasant  to  be 
king,  Jonathan  gladly  gives  way,  with  a  generous  pride 
in  his  lowly  friend's  prospect,  which  is  very  praise- 
worthy. 

So  he  takes  second  place,  not  because  he  must,  but 
because  he  would. 

Let  me  give  you  two  further  beautiful  illustrations  of 
this.  Dr.  Blow  many  years  ago  (he  died  1708)  was 
organist  of  Westminster  Abbey.  After  holding  this 
high  position  for  eleven  years,  he  gave  it  up  of  his  own 
accord  to  one  of  his  pupils,  then  only  twenty-two 
years  of  age.     He  did  tiiis  because  he  considered  that 


SECOND  121 

he  was  more  accomplished  than  himself,  and  therefore 
better  able  to  serve  the  church  as  organist.  This  dis- 
tinguished pupil  worked  for  fifteen  years,  when  he 
died,  the  Doctor  all  the  while  rejoicing  greatly  in  his 
success.  After  his  death,  Dr.  Blow  again  took  his  old 
place. 

This  was  truly  great :  the  position  was  his,  but, 
for  the  sake  of  the  cause  he  had  at  heart,  he  took 
second  place.  There  are  many  causes  and  interests 
about  us  all  that  that  are  greater  than  we  are,  and 
for  their  sake  we  must  sometimes  consent  to  be 
second. 

I  read  a  noble  story  from  Mr.  Howatt,  showing  how 
a  boy  can  be  both  high-minded  and  unselfish  for  the 
sake  of  another. 

Jamie  Pettigrew  and  Willie  Hunter  were  the  clever 
boys  in  Mr.  Howatt's  school  class,  and  used  "  to  run 
neck  and  neck  for  the  prizes."  Examination  day  came 
again.  Jamie  and  "Willie  were  left  last  in  th  *  field. 
Jamie  missed  question  after  question,  which  Willie 
answered,  and  he  got  the  prize, 

"  I,"  says  Mr.  Howatt,  "  went  home  with  Jamie  that 
night,  and  instead  of  being  cast  down  at  losing  the  prize, 
he  seemed  rather  to  be  mighty  glad.  I  couldn't  under- 
stand it. 

" '  Why,  Jamie,'  I  said,  '  you  could  have  answered 
some  of  those  questions  ;  I  know  you  could.' 

"  *  Of  course  I  could ! '  ho  said,  with  a  laugh. 

"  '  Then  why  didn't  you  ? '  I  asked. 


122  SECOND 

"  He  wouldn't  answer  for  a  while,  but  I  kept 
pressing  and  pressing  him,  till  at  last  he  turned  round, 
with  such  a  strange,  kind  look  in  his  bonnie  brown 
eyes. 

"  *  Look  here,'  he  said  ; '  how  could  I  help  it  ?  There's 
poor  Willie — his  mother  died  last  week,  and  if  it 
hadn't  been  Examination  Daj,  he  wouldn't  have  been 
at  school.  Do  you  think  I  was  going  to  be  so  mean  as 
to  take  a  prize  from  a  poor  fellow  who  had  just  lost 
his  mother  ? '  " 

Bravo,  laddie !  a  good  speech  that ;  and  second 
was  a  good  place,  if  not  the  noblest  of  any  in  all  the 
school  that  day. 

Love  for  others,  which  Christ  gives  us,  will  often 
prompt  us  to  be  second,  when  we  might,  if  we  would, 
be  first. 

So  you  see  in  how  many  ways  our  text  applies  to  us, 
and  what  a  great  lesson  it  teaches.  Much  of  our  joy, 
and  the  pleasure  others  will  find  in  us  depend  upon 
our  learning  this  lesson. 

A  boy  said  to  me,  "  It's  easy  to  be  second — the  diffi- 
culty is  to  get  first."  As  he  meant  it,  he  was  quite  right. 
It  is  easier  to  go  down  than  up.  But  it  is  not  easy  for 
one  who  wants  to  be  first  to  take  second  place  with 
good  grace. 

There  are  some  boys  who  can't  get  out  at  cricket 
or  go  down  in  class,  without  bad  temper — some  girls 
who  can't  bear  anyone  else  to  be  preferred  or  asked 
out  to  tea,  without  being  jealous. 


SECOND  123 

Eemember  Jonathan,  boys  and  girls,  and  when  you 
can't  be  first,  or  when  love  prompts  you  to  give  up  first 
place,  take  second  with  good  heart  and  true.  Christ 
did  it  for  us.  "  Though  rich,  He  became  poor,  that 
through  His  poverty  we  might  become  rich." 


"  Out  of  the  eater  came  forth  meat,  and  out  of  the  strong  came 
forth  sweetness."  Judges  xiv.  14, 

A  very  interesting  riddle  comes  to  us  from  North 
Germany,  which  I  fancy  few  of  us  could  guess,  try  as 
we  would. 

The  judges  offered  a  woman  her  husband's  life,  if  she 
could  make  a  riddle  which  they  could  not  guess.  She 
made  one  as  follows  : — 


'*  As  hithervvards  on  iny  way  I  s 
I  took  the  living  out  of  the  dead. 
Six  were  thus  of  the  seven tli  made  quit:  — 
To  rede  my  riddle,  my  lords,   'tis  iit." 

They  "  gave  it  up,"  and  the  husband  was  spared.  And 
what  do  you  think  the  answer  was  ?  On  her  way  to 
the  court  the  woman  found  the  carcase  of  a  horse  in 
which  a  bird  had  built  its  nest  and  hatched  six  young 
ones.  These  she  took  away,  and  thus  "  six  were  of  the 
seventh  made  quit." 

Just  such  a  riddle  was  this  of  Samson's.  He  put  it 
to  the  guests  assembled  at  his  wedding,  and  gave  them 
seven  days  to  guess  it  in.  But  they  could  not  guess  it. 
And  I  don't  think  they  ever  would,  had  they  not  got 

124 


A  RIDDLE  125 

the  answer  from  Samson's  wife,  who  teased  him  until 
he  told  it  her.  Then,  before  the  sun  went  down  on  the 
seventh  day,  they  answered,  "  What  is  sweeter  than 
honey  ?   and  what  is  stronger  than  a  lion  ? " 

A  right  answer,  though  they  had  got  it  in  a  mean  way. 

Where  did  Samson  find  his  riddle  first  of  all  ?  He 
made  it.     And  thus. 

One  day,  going  with  his  father  and  mother  to 
Timnath  visiting,  he  went  ahead  of  his  parents,  being 
so  much  younger  and  faster  than  they.  He  rambled 
amongst  the  vines  which  grew  on  the  hillsides,  when 
suddenly  a  young  lion  sprang  out  and  roared  against 
him,  desiring  to  have  him.  But  there  came  upon 
Samson  a  spirit  of  courage  and  strength,  so  that  he 
seized  the  lion  and  rent  him  like  the  cook  rends  the 
kid.  He  had  no  weapon,  and  thought  so  little  of  it 
that  he  did  not  tell  his  mother. 

Then,  about  a  year  afterwards,  going  along  the  same 
road,  he  turned  aside  to  see  the  dead  lion,  and  there  in 
the  body,  dried  hard  and  made  sweet  by  the  sun,  bees 
had  deposited  their  honey,  some  of  which  he  took  and 
ate  as  he  went. 

Hence  his  riddle — "  Out  of  the  eater  came  forth  meat, 
and  out  of  the  strong  came  forth  sweetness."  So  his 
dead  lion  served  him  not  only  for  a  riddle,  but  gave 
him  honey. 

We  may  learn  that  every  victory  we  win  will  yield  us 
some  good.  Sin  and  temptation  are  the  lions  about  our 
way  which  we  must  kill. 


126  A  KIDDLE 

The  errand  boy  going  on  his  ^vay  sees  boys  playing 
marbles.  He  is  tempted  to  put  down  his  basket  and 
to  sit  on  the  handle  to  watch  the  game.  That  is  a 
loitering  lion  which  he  should  kill,  rather  than  kill  his 
master's  time  and  make  people  cross  because  the  goods 
are  not  delivered. 

At  school  one  is  tempted  to  love  play-time  so  much 
that  he  hates  work  and  won't  do  it.  We  should  kill 
laziness,  and  we  shall  find  that  duty  done  is  one  of  the 
sweetest  pleasures.  Idleness  conquered  will  be  like  a 
dead  lion  with  honey  in  it. 

We  are  tempted  to  selfishness  and  greediness.  This 
lion  likes  to  keep  all  for  himself,  and  he  growds 
savagely  if  another  comes  near  to  his  bone. 

When  I  was  at  a  little  country  school  in  Lincoln- 
shire, we  used  to  have  hampers  from  home.  Such 
hampers  were  they !  Cakes,  sweets,  fruit,  and  all 
kinds  of  things  dear  to  a  schoolboy's  heart.  How 
eagerly  we  used  to  watch  for  the  carrier's  cart !  But 
the  rule  was  that  we  should  share  the  contents  with 
our  schoolfellows,  lest  we  should  be  greedy.  And  there 
was  certainly  as  much  pleasure  in  sharing  as  in  eating. 

The  way  to  kill  the  greediness  is  to  share  what  we 
have  with  others. 

**  I  have  a  plum  cake,  the  whole  is  my  own. 
And  no  one  will  know  if  I  eat  it  alone — 
But  what  if  the  cake  be  so  sweet  and  so  nice? 
I  daresay  poor  Jack  would  be  glad  of  a  slice. 
My  treat  he  shall  share,  a  large  slice  shall  be  his  ; 
For  to  eat  all  one's  self — 0  how  selfish  it  is  1 " 


A  RIDDLE  127 

The  prizes  of  conquest  are  many.  Each  victory  over 
sin  and  temptation  will  make  us  stronger  to  conquer 
again. 

Then  we  shall  have  also  the  joys  of  conquest.  There 
is  no  gladness  so  great  as  that  of  doing  right,  and  no 
pleasure  so  pure  as  that  of  conquering  some  untrue  or 
unkind  or  selfish  feeling  in  our  hearts. 

If  you  have  made  a  good  score  afe  cricket,  or  done 
specially  well  in  your  music,  you  know  the  pleasure  it 
brings.  Thus  "  out  of  the  strong  will  come  forth 
sweetness." 

Let  us  never  forget  that  right  has  more  pleasures 
than  anything  else  in  the  world,  that  virtue  has  more 
honey  than  vice.  "Wee  Willie  Winkie"  tells  this 
pretty  story : — 

The  "  blue-line  "  street-car  stopped  at  the  corner,  and 
an  anxious-looking  young  woman  put  a  small  boy  inside. 

"Now,  Bob,"  she  said,  as  she  hurried  out  to  the 
platform  again,  "  don't  lose  that  note  I  gave  you ;  don't 
take  it  out  of  your  pocket  at  all." 

"  No'm,"  said  the  little  man,  looking  wistfully  after 
his  mother  as  the  conductor  pulled  the  strap,  the  driver 
unscrewed  the  brake,  and  the  horses,  shaking  their 
bells,  trotted  off  with  the  car. 

"What's  your  name,  Bob?"  asked  a  mischievous- 
looking  young  man  sitting  beside  him. 

"  Eobert  Culleu  Deems,"  he  answered. 

"  Where  are  you  going  ? " 


128  A  RIDDLE 

"  To  my  grandma's." 

"  Let  me  see  that  note  in  your  pocket." 

The  look  of  innocent  surprise  in  the  round  face  ought 
to  have  shamed  the  boy's  tormentor,  but  he  only  said 
again,  "  Let  me  see  it." 

"  I  tan't,"  said  Eobert  Cullen  Deems. 

"  See  here,  if  you  don't,  I'll  scare  the  horses  and 
make  them  run  away." 

The  little  boy  cast  an  apprehensive  look  at  the  belled 
horses,  and  shook  his  head. 

"  Here,  Bob,  I'll  give  this  peach  if  you'll  pull  that 
note  half-way  out  of  your  pocket." 

The  boy  did  not  reply,  but  some  of  the  older  people 
looked  angry. 

"  I  say,  chum,  I'll  give  you  this  whole  bag  of  peaches 
if  you  will  just  show  me  the  corner  of  your  note,"  said 
the  tempter. 

The  child  turned  away,  as  if  he  did  not  wish  to 
hear  any  more,  but  the  young  man  opened  the  bag 
and  held  it  just  where  he  could  see  and  smell  the 
luscious  fruit. 

A  look  of  distress  came  into  the  boy's  face ;  I  believe 
Bob  was  afraid  to  trust  himself,  and  when  a  man  left 
his  seat  on  the  other  end  to  get  off  the  car,  the  little 
boy  slid  quickly  down,  left  the  temptation  behind, 
and  climbed  into  the  vacant  place. 

A  pair  of  prettily -gloved  hands  began  almost  uncon- 
sciously to  clap,  and  then  everyljody  clapped  and 
applauded  until  it  might  have  alarmed  Bob,  if  a  young 


A  RIDDLE  129 

lady  sitting  by  had  not  slipped  her  arm  around  hiiii 
and  said — 

"  Tell  your  mamma  that  we  all  congratulate  her 
upon  having  a  little  man  strong  enough  to  resist 
temptation  and  wise  enough  to  run  away  from  it." 

I  doubt  if  that  lono-  hard  messaire  ever  reached  Bob's 
mother ;  but  no  matter,  the  note  got  to  his  grand- 
mother without  ever  coming  out  of  his  pocket.  And 
sturdy  Bob  had  rich  reward  in  doing  right. 

There  is  one  other  thing  about  Samson's  success  that 
I  want  you  specially  to  remember — "  the  Spirit  of  tlie 
Lord  came  mightily  upon  him."  Why  was  this  ? 
Because  "  he  had  notliing  in  his  hand."  He  had  no 
arrow,  no  club,  no  sword  wherevvith  he  could  kill  the 
lion.  The  Spirit  of  God  made  him  strong  enough  to 
do  it  without  weapon.  We  can't  kill  sin  and  tempta- 
tion by  ourselves ;  we  must  ask  God  to  help  us,  and  He 
always  will. 

Wlien  Samson  was  a  small  boy,  it  is  said,  "  the  child 
*grew,  and  the  Lord  blessed  him." 

The  Lord  will  bless  us  if  we  remember  Him.  and 
pray. 


Clean  Ibanbs 

'He  that  hath  clean  hands  shall  be  stronger  and  stionger." 

Joe  xvii.  9. 


One's  hands  will  get  dirty  at  play  or  at  work.  Children 
whose  playground  is  the  street  come  home  with  hands 
like  sweeps,  and  no  wonder !  Boys  who  work  in  dirty 
trades  get  their  hands  dirty,  and  who  could  help  it  ? 
But  no  one  likes  dirty  hands  if  they  are  at  all  clean 
people.  Father  comes  home  from  work,  and  one  of 
the  first  things  he  does  is  to  wash  his  hands.  Mothers 
like  clean  hands,  I  know.  When  we  come  home  from 
school,  one  of  her  first  questions  before  we  come  to  her 
snow-white  table  is,  "  Are  your  hands  clean  ?  "  And 
before  we  can  turn  into  our  clean,  white  beds,  the  rule 
is  that  our  hands  shall  be  clean.  And  surely  boys  and 
girls  won't  get  not  to  mind  whether  their  hands  are 
clean  or  dirty,  though  I  have  known  some  boys  who 
didn't  at  all  dislike  dirty  hands. 

Fathers  and  mothers,  boys  and  girls,  like  clean  hands, 
and  so  does  God.  He  speaks  a  good  deal  in  His  Word 
about  them.  One  of  the  beautiful  short  psalms, 
speaking  about  those  who  shall  stand  in  God's  holy 
place,  speaks   of  them   first  of    all  as   having  clean 


CLEAN  HANDS  131 

lijiucls.  God  ^YOll't  have  in  His  holy  place  any  dirty 
hands. 

And  the  text  l)efore  us  speaks  about  tlie  worth  of 
clean  hands  — "  He  that  hath  clean  hands  shall  be 
stronger  and  stronger'' 

T  need  scarcely  say  that  this  does  not  mean  clean 
hands  in  the  ordinary  sense;  they  may  have  some  of 
the  dirt  of  play  and  of  honest  work,  and  yet  be  clean 
bauds  in  the  meaning  of  the  text. 

1.  In  the  Bible  by  clean  hands  is  meant  nearly 
always  honest  hands — hands  that  have  not  taken  bribes, 
or  what  does  not  belong  to  them. 

If  anyone  has  done  wrong,  and  he  comes  to  you  and 
says,  "  I  will  give  you  a  penny  not  to  tell,"  that  is  a 
bribe,  and  the  hand  that  takes  it  is  not  clean. 

Hands  that  never  steal  are  so  far  clean.  I  was  tauglit 
as  a  boy — 

*'  It  is  a  siu  to  stecal  a  pin, 
And  so  much  more  a  greater  thing." 

To  take  a  pin,  a  pear,  a  flower,  a  marble  that  is  not 
ours  is  to  have  dirty  hands. 

They  begin  to  get  soiled  by  little  things.  A  boy 
puts  his  hand  through  the  railings  to  take  flowers,  and 
then,  when  he  is  older,  into  the  master's  till  to  take 
money. 

But  we  must  remember  that  God  won't  have  dirty 
hands  in  His  place,  nor  will  they  bring  us  any  good. 

2.  Kind  hands  are  clean  hands.  Fingers  may  be 
used  to  pinch  your  sister,  or  to  untie  the  knots  in  her 


132  CLEAN  HANDS 

string.  Hands  may  be  made  into  fists  to  fight  with, 
or  spread  out  for  the  help  of  others :  Uke  the  boy 
who  guided  across  the  busy  street  the  woman 

'*  Who  was  old,  and  feeble,  and  grey, 
And  bent  with  the  chill  of  the  winter's  day." 

Our  hands  are  more  Uable  to  become  dirty  in 
reference  to  the  dumb  creatures  about  us  than  in  any 
other  way. 

The  hand  that  pushes  the  cat  into  the  stream,  or 
throws  the  stone  at  the  street  dog,  the  fingers  that 
pull  legs  from  flies,  and  stick  pins  into  cockchafers,  are 
not  clean.  God  cares  for  these  things  very  much,  and 
looks  that  our  hands  shall  be  clean  in  kindness  to 
them. 

3.  Busy  hands  are  clean.  We  all  remember  the  old 
saying— 

*'  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 
For  idle  hands  to  do." 

The  Italians  have  a  proverb  which  sa3\s,  "He  that 
labours  is  tempted  by  one  devil ;  he  tliat  is  idle  by  a 
thousand."  There  is  much  truth  in  this.  The  hands 
that  are  most  likely  to  be  kept  clean  are  those  busily 
engaged  upon  some  useful  work.  Our  fingers  are 
useful  instruments  of  the  v/ill,  and  by  the  help  of  tools, 
such  as  the  needle  and  the  saw,  can  make  wonderful 
things.  Let  your  hands  be  busy.  Sew  the  garment, 
weed  the  garden,  make  the  mouse-cage.  Let  them 
carry  fiowers  to  the  sick,  or  help  the  tired  child  in  the 


street  with  her  big  bundle. 


CLEAN  HANDS  133 

4.  Consecrated  hands  are  clean.  When  Paul  speaks 
about  men  praying,  he  says,  **I  desire  that  the  men 
pray  in  every  place,  lifting  up  holij  hands." 

The  hands  come  into  our  prayer  specially.  The 
Jews  and  early  Christians  raised  their  palms  towards 
heaven,  indicating  the  offering  of  their  petition  and 
their  readiness  to  receive  what  God  had  to  give.  We 
fold  our  hands  in  token  of  our  submission  to  God. 
I  think  at  first  the  uplifting  of  the  hands — "the 
instruments  of  our  necessities  " — was  a  giving  of  them 
to  God.  They  were  held  up  in  token  that  they  were 
His.  Thus  the  hands  that  had  been  kept  free  from 
violence  and  impurity  were  "holy,"  and  were  lifted 
up  to  God. 

Let  our  prayer  be — 

"  Take  my  hands,  and  let  them  move 
At  the  impulse  of  Thy  love," 

There  is  no  surer  way  of  keeping  them  clean. 

And  our  text  speaks  also  of  the  value  of  clean  hands. 
He  who  has  them  shall  be  stronger  and  stronger. 
Knowing  his  hands  are  clean,  he  will  have  that  clear 
conscience  which  makes  men  so  strong  and  joyous. 

Boys  with  clean  hands  w^on't  have  to  skulk  and  put 
them  in  their  pockets  lest  anyone  sees  them.  They 
don't  fear  about  being  found  out.  How  pleased  we  are 
to  hold  out  hands  when  asked  if  they  are  clean  when 
we  know  that  they  are  !  A  good  conscience,  boys  and 
girls,  is  a  tower  of  strength  to  us. 

Let  us  all  see  to  it  that  our  hands  are  clean,  for 


134  CLEAN  HANDS 

God  won't  have  dirty  ones.  I  remember  in  a  public 
library  where  they  lent  books  to  be  read  in  the  room, 
there  was  a  notice  on  the  walls  that  the  hands  must 
be  clean.  If  anyone  went  for  a  book  who  had  not 
kept  the  rule,  the  attendant  would  refuse  the  boolv 
until  the  hands  were  washed.  I  saw  once  quite  a  big- 
fellow  sent  off  to  wash  his  hands. 

In  God's  holy  place  all  hands  juust  be  clean. 

But  supposing  we  have  got  them  dirty,  what  shall 
we  do  ?  Can  we  wash  our  hands  if  unkindness,  dis- 
honesty, or  impurity  has  soiled  them  ?  Yes,  v/e  must 
ask  God  to  forgive,  to  help  us  to  do  better,  and  then 
keep  them  clean  by  taking  care. 

"  I  will  wash  my  hands  in  innocency, 
So  will  I  compass  Thine  altar,  0  Lord." 

Play- dirt,  work-dirt,  easily  conies  off,  and  though  sin- 
dirt  is  more  difficult  to  remove,  yet  it  can  be  washed 
away. 


H  pure  Ibeart 

"He  that  hath  clean  hands  and  a  i^ure  heart." 

Ps.  xxiv.  4. 

In  our  last  sermon  we  were  speaking  about  clean  hands. 
Now  I  want  you  to  think  about  pure  hearts. 

The  hymn  in  which  the  text  is  found  is  a  very  beauti- 
ful one.  The  ark  of  Jehovah,  which  lias  been  for  about 
three  months  in  the  house  of  Obed-Edom,  is  being  taken 
to  Jerusalem  in  great  pomp.  The  wonderful  procession 
of  king  and  priests  and  people  wound  up  the  mountain- 
side to  the  city.  As  they  went  they  sang  this  24tli 
Psalm  as  a  kind  of  choral  hymn.  All  the  people 
sang  together  the  first  and  second  verses,  and  then  one 
choir  sang  this  question— 

"Who  shall  ascend  the  hill  of  the  Lord? 
Who  shall  stand  in  His  holy  place." 

And  another  choir  answered — 

**  He  that  is  of  clean  hands,  and  pnre  of  heart." 

Then,  as  they  neared  the  "  old  grey  fortress,"  they  all 
sent  up  a  mighty  sound  of  song — 

**  Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates  I  " 


136  A  PURE  HEART 

Then  priests  and  Levites  witliin  the  city  asked  in  song— 

"Who  is  this  King  of  gloiyT' 

And  the  people  burst  out  again  in  triumphant  strains — • 

"  The  Lord  strong  and  mighty, 
The  Lord  mighty  in  battle." 

So  they  joyously  bear  the  ark  to  the  holy  place,  where 
all  who  stand  must  have  clean  hands  and  pure  hearts. 
We  said  before  that  clean  liands  arc  honest,  kind,  busy, 
and  holy  hands.     Let  us  now  see  what  pure  hearts  are. 

1.  They  are  loving  hearts. 

They  love  good  desires,  good  deeds,  good  people,  and, 
above  all,  tliey  love  God. 

When  we  have  pure  hearts,  we  love  to  pray.  We 
do  not  simply  say  our  prayers  because  we  have  to  do 
so,  but  because  we  like  to  do  so.  We  love  play,  it  is 
true,  and  ought  to  as  long  as  we  are  young,  but  we 
must  not  love  playing  instead  of  praying. 

Bad  people  don't  love  people  because  they  are  good. 
"  Birds  of  a  feather  flock  together,"  says  the  old  proverb. 
You  can  generally  tell  the  character  of  a  girl  or  boy 
by  the  company  they  keep.  Pure-hearted  boys  won't 
like  the  company  of  those  who  use  bad  words  and  do 
base  things. 

God,  too,  we  love,  when  our  hearts  are  clean.  His 
will  and  His  ways  we  approve. 

2.  They  are  hating  hearts  also. 

When  a  girl  was  asked  if  she  had  a  new  heart,  her 
reply  was,  "  Yes,  I  hope  so,  because  I  love  the  thin^^s 


A  PURE  HEART  137 

which  I  used  to  hate,  and  hate  what  I  used  to 
love." 

Yes,  quite  so.  Badness  is  hateful  to  us  when  our 
hearts  are  right.  Sin  is  ugly,  and  only  ugly,  when  we 
have  really  learned  to  love  good.  If  ever  we  are 
beginning  to  think  lightly  of  sin,  to  feel  that  it  is 
rather  jolly,  to  prefer  coarse  vv'ords  to  gentle  ones,  lies 
to  truth,  it  is  because  our  hearts  are  not  pure. 

3.  Pure  hearts  are  new  hearts. 

We  have  none  of  us  in  ourselves  all  we  need  to  make 
our  hearts  pure.  We  all  have  our  good  points,  traits 
of  character  that  commend  us  to  others.  But  we  have 
also  traits  of  evil.  Hence  we  must  have  new  hearts 
given  to  us  by  God.  That  is,  we  need  God's  Spirit  to 
create  in  us  new  loves,  and  renew  our  will  to  do  right, 
and  to  cleanse  our  hearts  from  evil. 

Hence  the  prayer  we  all  know  so  well — "  Create  in 
me  a  clean  heart,  0  God,"  and  the  great  promise — 
"  A  new  heart  also  will  I  give  you." 

The  Eev.  E.  Pay  son  Hammond,  a  great  child -lover, 
tells  this  story.  One  day  a  boy,  scarcely  four  years  old, 
came  running  to  his  mother  and  said,  "  Mamma,  I  said 
a  naughty  word ;  I  sweared,  I  did." 

"  Did  you  ?  "  she  said.  "  Come  here,  then,  and  I  will 
get  some  clean  water  and  a  rag  and  some  soap,  and 
wash  your  mouth  out." 

She  then  carefully  went  to  work,  and  washed  his 
mouth  out  thoroughly,  and  when  she  pressed  her  finger 
down  into  his  throat  in  a  half-clioking  way,  he  said — 


138  A  PURE  HEART 

"  What  are  you  doing  that  for  ?  " 

"  Because  I  want  to  get  down  into  your  heart,  and 
wash  your  heart  out,  but  I  see  that  I  can't  do  that,  so 
you  will  have  to  ask  God  to  do  that  for  you." 

"  How  can  God  do  it  ? " 

"  I  do  not  know.     He  does  not  tell  me." 

"  I  know  it  came  from  the  heart,  because  I  thought 
the  naughty  word  before  I  said  it.  But  will  He  do  it 
if  I  ask  Him." 

"  Yes,  He  will.     He  promises  to  do  so." 

"  Then  I  will  ask  Him." 

Away  he  went  to  his  room,  and,  kneeling  down,  he 
said — 

"  0  God,  I  said  a  naughty  word.  I  sweared,  I  did. 
Mamma  has  washed  my  mouth  out,  but  she  can't  wash 
my  heart  out.  0  God,  please  wash  my  heart  out.  For 
Jesus'  sake.     Amen." 

If  some  of  the  words  in  this  prayer  seem  strange, 
you  must  remember  that  he  was  only  a  very  little 
fellow.  Years  afterwards,  the  mother  said  that  her  boy 
was  changed  from  that  day.  God  gave  him  a  new 
heart  that  kept  him  from  bad  words. 

God  will  do  the  same  for  us,  if  we  ask.  We  can't 
make  them  pure  ourselves.  If  my  watch  goes  wrong, 
I  don't  try  to  repair  it  myself  It  is  so  delicate  and 
intricate  that  I  should  spoil  it,  so  I  take  it  to  the 
watchmaker. 

Why  do  you  think  clean  hands  and  pure  hearts  are 
thus  joined  together  in  the  text  ?     Because  they  have 


A  PURE  HEART  139 

much  to  do  with  one  another  in  the  life.  The  surest 
way  to  secure  clean  hands  is  to  have  a  pure  heart.  If 
my  hands  are  cruel,  it  is  because  my  heart  is  cruel. 
As  the  wee  boy  said,  "  I  tlwurjlit  the  naughty  word 
before  I  said  it." 

The  hands  of  the  clock  do  not  go  by  themselves.  If 
they  are  out  of  time,  or  stop,  no  one  thinks  of  blaming 
them.  We  know  there  must  be  something  wrong  with 
the  works.  Spring  and  wheels  within  make  them  go, 
or  cause  them  to  stop. 

So  with  our  life :  the  heart  regulates  the  hands. 

Here  the  pure  heart  is  our  greatest  need  for  every 
day,  and  for  God's  holy  place.  Through  the  old  gates 
of  Jerusalem  some,  I  daresay,  went  into  the  holy  place 
who  were  not  either  clean  of  hand  or  pure  of  heart,  but 
nothing  unclean  can  enter  the  holier  city. 

"  There  shall  in  no  wise  enter  into  it  anvthins 
unclean." 

We  shall  not  get  to  heaven,  if  our  hearts  are  not  new. 

God's  best  gift  is  the  pure  heart,  and  if  we  go  to 
God,  He  will  keep  His  promise,  and  give  us  it. 

A  rabbi  asked  his  pupils  this  question — "  What  is  the 
best  thing  for  a  man  to  possess  ? "  I  wonder  what 
answer  we  should  give  ?  Well,  listen  to  theirs.  One 
said,  "  A  kind  nature  "  ;  another,  "  A  good  companion  "  ; 
another,  "  A  good  neighbour " ;  but  another,  named 
Eleazer,  said,  "  A  good  heart." 

"  I  like  your  answer  best,  Eleazer,"  said  the  dear 
master,  "/or  it  includes  all  the  rest  J' 


Copper  iPrectous  as  Golb 

"Two  vessels  of  fine  bright  brass,  precious  as  gold." 

EzRAviii.  27  (R.V.). 

These  were  amongst  the  vessels  of  God's  house  which 
Ezra  restored.  There  were  there  costly  bowls  of 
gold  and  beautiful  vessels  of  silver,  and  amongst  them 
two  vessels  of  fine  copper,  or,  as  the  Ee vised  Version 
reads,  "  fine  bright  brass,"  precious  as  gold. 

Any  boy  or  girl,  if  asked  whether  gold  or  copper  was 
the  more  valuable,  would  answer  "  Gold,"  and  if  offered 
a  new  penny  or  an  old  sovereign,  would  choose  the  latter. 
And  so  the  bowl  of  gold,  however  small,  would  be  worth 
more  than  the  vessel  of  brass,  however  great  in  the 
common  sense  of  worth.  But  the  word  "  precious  " 
refers  not  so  much  to  the  metal  the  vessels  were  made 
of  as  to  the  usefulness  of  the  vessels  themselves.  We 
might  say  "  two  vessels  of  fine  copper,  desirable  as  gold." 

For  the  work  of  God's  house  they  were  as  necessary 
as  the  silver  and  gold  vessels.  There  may  also  be  a 
reference  to  their  form ;  so  exquisite  were  they  in  work- 
manship that  the  only  way  to  speak  of  them  was 
"  precious  as  gold." 

Now  these  vessels  of  common  metal  amono-st  those 


cor  PER  PRECIOUS  AS  GOLD  141 

of  more  precious  metal  stand  to  me  for  the  everyday, 
trilling  things  of  life  well  done. 

Miss  Yonge  has  written  a  book  called  A  Book  of 
Golden  Deeds.  In  it  she  tells  of  the  wonderful  and 
heroic  but  rare  thmgs  which  people  have  done,  and  are 
worth  remembering.  Here  is  one  of  a  French  officer 
in  the  Seven  Years'  War.  France  had  taken  the  side 
of  Austria,  you  remember,  against  Germany.  Louis  XV. 
had  sent  a  French  army  into  Germany.  This  officer 
was  sent  out  alone  into  a  wood  to  reconnoitre. 
Suddenly  he  found  himself  surrounded  by  a  number  of 
soldiers  whose  bayonets  pricked  his  breast,  and  a  voice 
whispered  in  his  ear, "  Make  the  slightest  noise,  and  you 
are  a  dead  man."  In  a  moment  he  understood  it.  The 
enemy  were  advancing  to  surprise  the  French,  and 
would  be  upon  them  when  night  was  further  advanced. 
He  did  not  hesitate  a  moment,  but  shouted  his  loudest, 
"  Here,  Auvergne  !     Here  are  the  enemy  !  " 

By  the  time  his  cry  reached  the  ears  of  his  men,  he 
was  dead,  but  his  death  saved  the  army.  That  is  worth 
telling  and  recording  among  the  "Golden  Deeds."  I 
doubt  not  that  we  should  all  like  to  be  on  that  roll  of 
illustrious  ones  for  some  great  deed  nobly  done. 

But  there  is  another  book,  not  yet  written,  in  wliicli 
we  may  all  be  enrolled.  I  should  call  it  "A  Buok  of 
Common  Deeds  well  done."  We  don't  keep  such  a  book, 
but  God  does. 

Let  me  illustrate  what  I  mean. 

If  your  brother  fell  into  the  river,  and  you  jumped  in 


142  COPPER  PRECIOUS  AS  GOLD 

and  rescued  him,  that  would  be  like  a  golden  deed 
which  your  schoolfellows  would  talk  about,  and  for 
which  they  would,  perhaps,  give  you  an  innings  at  cricket. 

But  to  play  with  your  little  brotlier  when  he  wants 
a  game  and  you  don't :  to  be  kind  to  him  when  he  is 
cross ;  to  cheer  his  tears  away  when  he  is  in  sorrow, 
is  like  doing  copper  deeds.  No  one  save  our  mother 
talks  about  them,  but  before  her  and  God  they  are 
precious  as  gold. 

The  noblest  everywhere  are  those  who  are  not  above 
doing  the  least  things. 

He  who  shines  in  the  field,  but  is  mean  in  the  home, 
is  a  despicable  character. 

He  who  turns  up  when  there  is  anything  big  to  do, 
but  "  can't  bother  "  when  it  is  something  commonplace 
tliat  won't  bring  him  any  special  pleasure  or  credit,  is 
a  very  little-souled  creature. 

Don't  forget  the  vessels  of  copper. 

Let  us  remember  also  the  form  of  the  copper.  It 
was  "  fine,"  or,  taking  the  verse  as  read,  "  tine  bright 
brass."  What  is  that  ?  Polished,  made  to  shine,  like 
the  co])per  kettles  in  Yorkshire  cottages.  They  were 
not  made  of  dim,  unprepared  metal.  This  speaks  to  us 
about  the  way  in  which  we  are  to  do  our  common  deeds. 

They  are  to  be  polished.  There  are  three  ways 
particidarly  in  which  we  can  make  the  smallest  deed 
sliine  like  "  fine  bright  brass." 

1.  By  gentleness, 

Eudeness,  roughness  will  spoil  any  deed.     As  three 


COPPER  PRECIOUS  AS  GOLD  143 

boys  went  home  from  school  in  the  snow,  they  saw  an 
old  organ-grinder  who  wore  a  top  hat.  What  a  target ! 
One,  two,  three  snowballs,  and  the  hat  rolled  into  the 
snow.  Did  the  old  grinder  swear  and  turn  cross  ?  No, 
he  smiled  and  said,  "Now  I'll  play  you  a  tune  to  make 
you  merry." 

A  small  thing,  but  splendidly  done. 

2.  By  cheerfulness. 

To  do  a  thing  as  if  you  were  o])liged  to,  and  were 
cross  about  it,  is  to  have  the  metal  very  unpolished. 
And  to  do  a  disagreeable  thing  grumpily  is  to  make  it 
more  and  more  disagreeable. 

You  come  home  from  school,  and  are  about  to  go  out 
f(^r  a  game  when  mother  calls,  wanting  you  for  an 
errand  or  some  little  reasonable  service.  If  you  reply, 
"  Yes,  mother,"  as  if  you  were  very  much  disappointed 
and  very  cross,  the  copper  is  not  at  all  polished ;  but  if 
you  reply, "  Yes,  mother,"  in  a  cheery  tone  which  says, "  I 
will  do  anything  for  you,"  that  is  like  "  fine  bright  brass." 

Yes,  cheerfulness  makes  the  hardest  duty  easier  and 
the  smallest  service  fine. 

3.  Unselfishness  is  also  a  wonderful  polisher. 
When  we  are  bestowing  our  little  gifts  upon  others, 

our  giving  is  often  like  unpolished  copper.  When,  for 
instance,  you  give  what  you  have  grown  tired  of  or  don't 
like  or  don't  want,  that  is  better  than  not  giving  at  all, 
but  it  is  not  the  best  gift.  When  we  give  what  we 
should  very  much  like  to  keep,  then  our  gift  is  like  the 
"  fine  copper." 


144  COPPER  PRECIOUS  AS  GOLD 

Two  farthings,  when  they  are  all  ourstore  and  given 
in  a  true  spirit,  may  be — Christ  said  once  they  were — 
"  precious  as  gold,"  while  two  sovereigns  may  not  be 
worth  a  flint  stone  when  given  in  another  way. 

It  was  breaking-up  day,  and  the  school  sports  w^ere 
fixed  for  two  o'clock.  Eichie  left  home  in  good  time 
to  start  in  the  first  race  for  a  pair  of  running-shoes  and 
a  cricket-cap.  On  his  way  he  found  a  letter  by  the 
roadside.  On  the  envelope  above  the  address  was 
Immediate.  Someone  had  evidently  intended  to  put  it 
in  the  pillar-box  for  twelve  o'clock  clearance.  The 
General  Post-Office,  where  it  must  go  if  it  was  to  be 
delivered  that  day,  was  a  long  way  off,  and  he  would 
have  to  run  hard  to  get  there  and  back  in  time  for  his 
race,  and  then,  tired  with  the  run,  he  might  lose  it. 
Eichie  hesitated,  and  then,  thinking  the  letter  might 
1)0  very  important  to  someone,  away  he  ran.  In  the 
race  he  made  a  good  start,  but  Willie  Webb  beat  him 
at  the  finish.  Eichie  was  sorely  disappointed,  and 
went  home  not  sure  whether  tlie  letter  was  worth  this 
loss.  During  the  night  Mi's.  Webb's  stacks  were  on 
fire,  and  Eichie  with  his  father  went  to  help  put  it 
out.  In  her  fear  and  trouble  Mrs.  Webb  said,  "  I 
renewed  the  insurance  only  to-day."  Then  Willie  said 
to  Eichie,  "  Whatever  shall  I  do  ?  I  lost  the  letter." 
Eichie  asked  what  it  was  like,  and  then  said,  "  Don't 
worry,  old  fellow.  I  found  it,  and  posted  it  for  you." 
And  thus  Mrs.  Webb  got  her  insurance,  and  she  gave 
Eichie  the  best  cricket  -  cap  and  running  -  shoes  that 


COPPER  PRECIOUS  AS  GOLD  145 

could  be  bought.  So  his  little  unselfish  deed  was  like 
the  vessel  of  "  fine  copper,  precious  as  gold." 

If  then  we  cannot  do  wonderful  things,  let  us  do  the 
common  things  wonderfully.  Gideon  was  busy  "  beat- 
ing out  wheat  in  the  winepress  "  when  God's  call  to  the 
highest  service  for  his  country  came  to  him.  The 
commonplace  duty  led  to  the  greatest  honour.  Never 
slight  the  little  things. 

Dr.  Eichard  Newton  tells  us  that  the  most  beautiful 
stained  glass  window  in  Lincoln  Cathedral  was  made 
by  an  apprentice  out  of  little  pieces  of  glass  that  had 
been  thrown  aside  by  his  master  as  useless.  The  lines 
that  someone  has  written  about  this  window  are  worth 
remembering  in  connection  with  our  subject  of  the 
copper  deeds. 

*'  Great  things  are  made  of  fragments  .small, 
Small  things  are  germs  of  great  ; 
And,  of  earth's  stately  temples,  all 
To  fi-agments  owe  their  weight. 

Tliis  window,  peer  of  all  the  rest, 

Of  fragments  small  is  wrought ; 
Of  fragments  that  the  artist  deemed 

Unworthy  of  his  thought. 

And  thus  may  we,  of  little  things, 

Kind  words  and  gentle  deeds, 
Aid  wealth  or  beauty  to  our  lives 

Which  greater  acts  exceeds. 

Each  victory  o'er  a  sinful  tiionglit. 

Each  action  true  and  pure, 
Is,  'mid  our  life's  engi-aving,  wrought 

In  tints  that  shall  endure." 


10 


StralQbt  Bwa^ 

"And  straiglitway  they  left  the  nets  and  followed  Him." 

Mark  i.  18. 

Two  brothers,  fishermen,  were  busy  at  their  work,  just 
as  busy  and  earnest  as  fishermen  coiild  be.  They  were 
both  casting  a  net  and  drawing  in  their  fish.  Tlien 
along  the  shore,  where  the  tiny  waves  washed  up  the 
shingle,  Jesus  was  seen  walking.  He  said  to  the 
brothers,  "  Come  after  Me,  and  I  will  make  you  to 
become  fishers  of  men."  And  directly  t'ney  left  boat 
and  nets,  work  and  fish,  and  followed  Him. 

I  daresay  there  are  some  boys  and  girls  who  wonder 
at  this,  and  think  if  they  had  a  boat  and  nets  they 
wouldn't  leave  them  and  follow  Christ.  Yes,  it  does 
seem  strange  at  first,  but  let  us  think  about  it  and  see 
what  there  is  in  it.  We  will  consider  first  what  they 
did,  then  why  they  did  it,  and  then  how  they  did  it. 

1.   What  they  did. 

"  They  left  the  nets." 

This  means  very  much  to  these  fishers.  The  nets 
were  their  means  of  livelihood.  But  that  word  is  too 
long — they  got  their  bread  by  fishing  with  their  nets, 
and  in  leaving  them  they  were  leaving  their  business. 


STRAIGHT  AWAY  147 

The  nets  were  the  most  they  could  leave,  and  they  did 
not  hesitate  to  leave  them. 

Before  we  boys  and  girls  can  become  Christians — if 
we  are  not  such  already — there  is  something  we  have 
to  leave.  When  the  voice  of  Christ  comes  to  us,  it 
says,  "  have  all  and  follow  Me."  We  have  not  to  give 
up  home  or  school  or  business,  pleasure  or  play,  but 
everything  that  keeps  us  from  being  Christians. 

We  must  leave  bad  habits  and  bad  companions, 
naughty  words  and  naughty  deeds.  All  sin  we  have 
to  leave  to  follow  Christ.  To  begin  to  love  Christ  we 
must  begin  to  give  up  sin. 

Then  in  Christ's  service  we  often  have  to  leave  much 
else.  ]Many  have  given  up  home  and  pleasure  to  do 
good  to  others  for  Christ's  sake.  That  call  may  come 
to  some  of  you  some  day. 

Like  these  brother  fishers,  whatever  Christ  bids  us 
leave,  let  us  do  it. 

2.    Why  they  did  it. 

"  And  folloiued  Him."  These  words  carry  the  secret 
of  their  great  giving  up.  Think  again  liow  much  they 
left,  and  then  remember  that  they  did  it  for  sake  of 
"  following  Him." 

Christ  and  His  service  were  worth  more  to  them 
than  boats  and  nets.  They  would  have  the  friendship 
of  Christ  Himself.  And  that  would  be  worth  a  good 
many  nets.  Jesus  seemed  worth  more  to  these  fishers 
than  anything  else  in  the  world.  And  so  they  quickly 
left  what  they  were  doing  and  followed  Him. 


148  STRAIGHT  A  IVA  V 

Now,  boys  and  girls,  this  is  just  true  for  all  of  us. 
Christ  is  better  than  anything  else  life  has.  Nothing 
brings  so  much  joy  and  pleasure  and  good  into  our  life 
as  Christ. 

Then  they  would  have  also  Christ's  service :  "  I  will 
make  you  to  become  fishers  of  men."  Christ  was  going 
to  make  them  of  use  to  other  men.  And  that  was 
better  than  the  best  fishing. 

I  think,  boys  and  girls,  that  the  greatest  joy  in 
being  Christ's  lovers  is  that  we  can  help  others  to 
be  good. 

You  all  know  how  very,  very  often  bad  boys  and  girls 
make  others  bad.  Ministers  and  teachers  warn  us 
against  evil  companions,  because  they  will  make  us 
evil.  It  is  just  as  true  that  good  people  make  others 
good.  Goodness  is  far  stronger  and  more  attractive 
than  badness.  When  we  belong  to  Christ,  He  uses  our 
life  to  help  others  and  to  save  them. 

Thus,  when  these  brothers  thought  of  their  boats 
and  nets  and  fishing,  and  of  Christ  and  His  service, 
they  left  all  and  followed  Him. 

If  I  offered  to  give  a  sovereign  for  each  penny  you 
liave,  would  you  be  long  in  deciding  to  give  up  the 
penny  ?  If  anyone  would  make  such  an  offer  to  me,  I 
should  quickly  hunt  up  all  my  pennies  and  get  them 
changed. 

It  is  much  like  that  when  we  leave  anything  for 
Christ.  We  are  exchanging  our  pence  for  sovereigns. 
Wc  may  give  up  much,  but  we  shall  always  get  more. 


STRAIGHT  A  WA  V  149 

3.  IToiv  they  did  it. 

"  And  straightway."  This  is  a  good  word  and  worth 
remembering.  It  means  immediately,  "  on  the  spot," 
as  we  say  sometimes ;  or  straight  away.  They  did  not 
hesitate  or  loiter  or  wonder,  but  followed  straight 
away. 

It  IS  always  best  to  do  the  right  at  once.  The  nasty 
little  spoilers  of  life  are  well  known  to  us.  "  Wait  a 
minute,"  says  the  boy  wdien  his  mother  calls.  "  I  am 
going  to,"  says  another,  who  knows  he  ought  to  have 
done  something  long  ago.  "  I  will  by  and  by,"  says  a 
third,  who  is  excusing  neglect  of  present  duty.  These 
are  like  little  foxes  that  spoil  the  grapes.  We  shall 
never  do  anything  much  in  life  if  we  let  them  into  our 
vineyard. 

No,  the  splendid  word  is  straight  aivay  for  every- 
thing. The  great  successes  of  life  are  won  by  men 
and  women  who  don't  wait,  but  do  the  duty  of  the 
moment  at  once. 

It  is  said  that  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  who  was  himself  a 
scholar,  had  a  neighbour,  a  scholar  also.  They  both 
learned  overnight  that  the  bookseller  had  a  rare  Greek 
Testament  for  sale,  and  tliey  both  (unknown  to  one 
another)  made  up  their  minds  to  purchase  it  if  possible. 
The  neighbour  hastened  over  his  breakfast,  and  went 
to  the  shop,  sure  that  he  must  be  the  first  customer  of 
the  day,  and  asked  to  see  the  rare  book.  "  You  are  too 
late,"  said  the  bookseller.  "  Impossible ! "  said  the 
scholar.      ''  I  have  only  just   had  my  brea.kfa^t,  and 


r  50  S  TRAIGHT  A  WA  Y 

have  come  straight  away."  "Yes,"  said  the  bookseller; 
"  but  Dr.  Clarke  came  hefore  hreakfasty 

"  Before  breakfast "  got  the  coveted  book.  "  Straight- 
way they  left  the  nets  and  followed  Him." 

It  is  not  so  true  of  anything  else  as  of  following 
Christ — that  the  best  way  to  do  it  is  straight  away. 


Beware  of  the  dogs." 


Phil.  iii.  2  (R.V.). 


We  should  scarcely  expect  to  find  such  a  text,  but 
here  it  is.     And  wliat  can  it  mean  ?     Well,  let  us  see. 

Dogs  in  St.  Paul's  day  were  not  exactly  hke  our  dogs. 
He  did  not  feel  about  them  as  we  do.  AVe  keep  them 
in  the  house,  and  feed  them,  and  nurse  and  pet  them. 
But  when  Paul  wrote,  they  were  a  bit  of  a  nuisance 
and  a  danger  also.  Big,  masterless,  savage  dogs  prowled 
about  the  villages  and  cities,  seeking  their  food.  They 
would  snap,  and  snarl,  and  bite,  so  that  you  needed  a 
strong  stick,  and  to  be  on  your  guard. 

And  so,  when  St.  Paul  wanted  to  warn  his  friends 
against  people  who  were  unkind,  cruel,  and  hurtful,  he 
thought  about  these  stray  dogs,  and  said,  "  Beware  of 
the  dogs." 

And  the  text  has  a  voice  for  us  to-day,  for  just  as 
these  dogs  ran  about  the  streets  hither  and  thither, 
looking  this  way  and  that,  ever  ready  to  snap  and  bite, 
so  there  are  people  about  school  and  playground,  street 
and  workplace,  who  are  like  them,  and  the  text  would 
say  Beware  of  the  bovs  and  girls  who  will  bite  you. 


152  DOGS 

1.  Boys  to  mind, 

(a)  Sly  dogs. — Boys,  for  instance,  who  will  tempt 
you  to  loiter  on  your  way  to  school  or  as  you  are  going 
an  errand.  They  say  it  doesn't  matter  if  you  are  a  little 
late. 

Beware  of  those  tempting  boys  and  girls  who  entice 
us  to  do  wrong,  promising  us  all  sorts  of  nice  things 
if  only  we  won't  be  so  particular.  They  tempt  us  often 
to  break  the  rule  of  home  Avhich  says  we  are  not  to  go 
to  certain  places  and  we  are  to  be  in  at  certain  times. 
"What  does  it  matter?  Mothers  don't  know  every- 
thing," says  our  sly,  tempting  dog.  I  never  knew  a 
mother  who  said  or  thought  she  did  know  everything, 
but  I  am  quite  sure  she  knows  more  than  we  do,  and 
that  her  law  is  very  good. 

So  whenever  anyone  is  tempting  you  not  to  care 
then  remember  this  text,  ''  Beware  of  the  dogs." 

(b)  Savage  dogs. — There  are  some  boys  and  girls 
who  are  like  savage  dogs.  They  use  bad  words,  they 
do  nasty  and  dirty  things.  Beware  of  them,  for  they 
will  injure  you,  and  will  never  be  content  until  you  do 
as  they  do.  Of  all  evil  things,  evil  companions  are  the 
most  evil. 

Beware  of  anybody  and  everybody  round  about  you 
who  would  try  to  do  you  harm.  There  are  many  sortSj 
rough  and  smooth,  sly  and  savage.  But  the  most 
dangerous  of  all  is  the  sly  dog.  He  wags  his  tail  as  if 
pleased  to  see  you,  and  when  you  go  to  stroke  him,  he 
snaps  at  you. 


DOGS  153 

2.  Why  "  beware  of  the  dogs "  ?  Because  they  bite 
and  bring  us  no  good. 

A  father  brought  his  boy  six  red,  round,  ripe  apples, 
just  such  as  the  boy  loved.  He  looked  at  them  with 
boyish  delight.  "Six"  said  he  ;  "thank  you  very  much !" 
Then  he  was  going  to  stow  them  away  where  we  put 
all  our  treasures  of  the  moment — string,  top,  knife, 
marbles,  nails,  and  coppers,  with  a  few  sweets  on 
occasion. 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  father ;  "  you  must  not  put  them 
in  your  pocket."  "  Then  I'll  eat  them."  "  No ;  put 
them  in  the  cupboard."  "  In  the  cupboard  ? "  exclaimed 
the  disappointed  laddie.  There  he  had  to  place  them. 
A  nice  little  group  they  were.  Then  the  father  gave 
him  another,  and  said,  "  Put  this  one  with  them."  "  But 
ill's  rotten,  and  will  spoil  the  others."  But  he  had  to  do 
it.  A  nasty  one  amongst  six  rosy,  ripe  ones.  And 
there  they  stayed  until  he  was  told  he  might  have 
them.  Then  he  found  the  nasty  one  had  made  them 
all  nasty.  "  There,"  he  said ;  "  I  knew  it  would  be  so." 
"  And  so  did  I,"  said  the  father.  "  And  my  boy  will 
find,  if  he  will  play  with  bad  boys  who  swear  and  steal, 
they  will  spoil  him  too." 

You  see  what  the  father  meant  by  his  lesson.  If 
you  don't  want  your  apples  spoiled,  keep  them  away 
from  the  bad  one.  And  if  you  don't  want  yourself 
spoiled,  keep  away  from  bad  boys  and  girls. 

A  man  had  a  board  by  his  dog-kennel  with  the  words 
"  Beware  of  the  dog  "  painted  in  very  large  letters.     A 


154  DOGS 

friend  said  to  him,  "I  suppose  you  have  had  that 
written  in  such  big  letters,  that  he  who  runs  may 
read,  have  you  ?  "  "  No,"  he  said,  "  I  have  not.  I 
have  put  it  in  good  big  letters,  that  he  who  reads  may 
run." 

Boys  and  girls,  if  ever  you  find  anyone  try  to  make 
you  say  a  bad  word  or  do  a  mean,  bad  thing,  then  have 
this  text  before  you  in  big,  big  letters — 

"  Beware  of  the  Dogs." 


IRemember 

Eemember  Jesus  Christ. 


2  Tim.  ii.  8  (R.V.). 


We  should  never  forget  our  best  friends,  though  we  do 
so  sometimes.  The  boy  who  thinks  of  his  schoolfellow 
who  gave  him  his  first  knife  forgets  the  friend  who 
bound  up  his  cut  finger.  We  think  more  of  those  who 
please  us  than  those  who  help  us.  Hence,  people  who 
give  us  things  are  remembered  after  those  who  have 
taught  us  are  forgotten.  Those  who  bring  us  presents 
occasionally  are  thought  of,  while  those  who  are  always 
giving  to  us  what  we  most  need  are  unremembered. 
Thus  is  it  that  auntie  often  gets  thanks,  while  mother 
gets  none. 

We  must  not  forget  our  best  friends,  and  certainly 
v/e  must  never  forget  Him  who  is  more  than  friend. 

Paul  tells  Timothy  to  "  remember  Jesus  Christ,*'  and 
I  am  sure  he  would  say  so  to  every  boy  and  girl  to-day. 

Here,  then,  is  a  pleasant  duty — "  Eemember  Christ." 

That  is,  think  about  Him.  You  boys  and  girls  who 
read  have  come  across  many  men  and  women  who  have 
impressed  your  mind,  and  you  think  of  them  long  after 
the  reading.     Who  does  not  remember  St.  George,  who 

155 


156  REMEMBER 

slew  the  dragon  ?  Or  Kobinson  Crusoe,  who  cared  for 
"  Friday  "  ?  So  also  we  think  about  the  great  characters 
of  history,  King  Alfred,  Nelson,  Gordon,  and  many 
others.  Let  us  think  about  the  greatest  of  them  all, 
Jesus  Christ.  Never  was  one  like  Him.  What  won- 
derful things  He  did !  What  wise  and  kind  words  He 
spoke  !  The  verse  tells  Timothy  what  particularly  he 
was  to  think  about.    "  Jesus  Christ  risen  from  the  dead." 

The  people  killed  Him  on  the  cruel  cross.  Kind 
hands  buried  Him  in  the  new  grave,  before  which  the 
soldiers  rolled  a  big  stone,  so  that  no  one  should  steal 
the  body.  But  in  the  morning  the  grave  was  empty. 
Jesus  had  risen,  and  He  saw  and  talked  with  His 
disciples  many  times.  Thus  they  knew  that  He  was 
the  Son  of  God,  and  not  a  deceiver,  as  the  people  said ; 
their  Saviour,  and  not  a  mere  man  like  one  of  them- 
selves. "  Eemember  also,"  says  Paul,  "  Jesus  Christ  of 
the  seed  of  David."  He  was  the  one  whom  God  had 
promised  to  give  to  them.  And  He  shared  their  nature 
as  well  as  being  God.  He  was  King  of  heaven,  but 
also  babe  of  Bethlehem.  He  could  work  miracles, 
making  blind  people  see  and  dead  people  live ;  but  He 
had  been  a  boy,  with  play  and  lessons  like  other  boys. 
Though  God,  He  came  and  shared  our  lot.  "  Though 
rich,  for  our  sakes  He  became  poor,  that  we  .  .  .  might 
become  rich." 

Let  us  read  and  think  about  Him.  But  to  remember 
Christ  is  TO  love  Him  and  be  tkue  to  Him. 

The  remembrance  Christ  Himself  loves  most  of  all  is 


REMEMBER  157 

our  love.  The  boy  remembers  his  mother  most  who 
loves  her  best.  And  he  loves  her  best  who  is  careful 
to  do  her  will,  who  does  what  she  would  like,  and 
avoids  what  she  would  disapprove. 

When  John  Paton,  who  became  the  great  missionary, 
left  his  home  to  go  to  Glasgow,  forty  miles  had  to  be 
done  on  foot.  His  father  walked  with  him  the  first  six 
miles,  and  then  they  parted.  The  father  and  son  were 
very  dear  to  one  another,  and  the  parting  was  a  sorrow- 
ful one.  "  God  bless  you,  my  son ;  your  father's  God 
prosper  you  and  keep  you  from  all  evil,"  said  the  father. 

After  going  some  distance,  John  climbed  the  dyke 
to  see  if  his  father  was  standing  where  he  left  him. 
At  the  same  moment  the  father  climbed  the  dyke  to 
see  his  son.  John  saw  him  get  down.  "  I  watched," 
he  says,  "  through  blinding  tears  till  his  form  faded 
from  my  gaze ;  and  then,  hastening  on  my  way,  vowed 
deeply  and  oft,  hy  the  help  of  God,  to  live  and  act  so  as 
never  to  grieve  or  dishonour  such  a  father  and  mother  as 
He  had  given  me."  That  was  the  right  way  to  remember 
his  father  and  mother. 

So,  boys  and  girls,  should  we  remember  Christ.  Act 
so  as  never  to  grieve  Him  or  dishonour  His  name. 

Paul  tells  Timothy  to  remember  Christ,  not  simply 
because  gratitude  for  what  Christ  had  done  for  him 
should  make  him  remember.  He  was  speaking  to  him 
about  "  suffering  hardship,  as  a  good  soldier  of  Jesus 
Christ " :  so  that  he  might  be  a  good  soldier  he  would 
have  him  remember  Christ. 


158  REMEMBER 

Wlien  we  are  tempted  to  do  wrong,  when  we  are  in 
sorrow,  when  duty  is  difficult,  when  joys  are  many, 
remember  Jesus  Christ.  Eemember  that  He  is  near, 
that  He  is  our  Saviour,  and  that  He  will  help  us. 

Whoever  else  you  forget,  don't  forget  Christ.  We 
have  never  seen  Him,  but  He  sees  us.  We  do  not  hear 
Him  coming,  but  He  is  always  with  us.  His  gifts  are 
bestowed  every  day,  but  they  are  the  most  precious  of 
all  we  have.  If  Christ  did  not  remember  us,  we  should 
not  have  much  to  make  our  lives  happy. 

A  mother  was  talking  to  her  little  girl  about  loving 
God.  The  child  replied,  "  Mother,  I  have  never  seen 
God,  how  can  I  love  Him  ? "  A  few  days  afterwards 
she  received  a  lovely  book  from  a  friend.  What 
pictures  there  were  in  that  book !  The  more  she 
turned  over  the  leaves,  the  happier  the  wee  maid  felt, 
until  at  last  she  exclaimed,  "  Oh,  mother,  how  I  do  love 
the  good  lady  that  sent  me  this  book  ! " 

"  But  you  never  saw  her,  my  dear,"  said  her  mother. 

"  No,"  answered  the  child ;  "  but  I  love  her  because 
she  has  sent  me  this  present."  So  the  child  loved  and 
remembered  the  lady  whom  she  had  never  seen  because 
of  what  she  had  sent  her,  Christ  gave  Himself  for  us. 
All  the  blessings  of  life  come  to  us  through  Him,  and 
in  the  future  life  He  will  give  us  much  more. 

Boys  and  girls,  "  Remember  Jesus  Christ." 

THE    END. 


